A Taisho-Era Wing Bent in Two
Fubokaku Annex (不忘閣離れ, Fubōkaku Hanare) is a two-storey timber guest wing of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn at Aone Onsen in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, built in the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014.
It is made of two wings. One runs north to south and connects by a covered corridor to the south side of the Main Building; the other turns east from its southern end. The result is a plan bent like a shallow chevron. The building covers 225 square metres under a sheet-iron roof.
Its place in the sequence is clear. Miyagi Prefecture records that a great fire in 1906 destroyed much of Aone Onsen, and that the Main Building is said to have been built in 1907, the following year. The Fubokaku Annex is the next step: more guest rooms, added once the main house was back on its feet.
Identical Rooms Facing the Garden
What sets the Fubokaku Annex apart is the way it arranges its rooms. Along the front garden runs a sequence of guest rooms of identical shape and size. Each opens generously to the garden through wide glazed windows, and a handrail runs along the outside of them.
In the Main Building each room has fittings of a different design, so that no two feel alike. Here the rooms are deliberately uniform. The two buildings divide the work: one is a showpiece for honoured guests, the other a practical wing for taking in the many visitors of a busy cure resort.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the annex as a surviving record of how hot-spring cure resorts looked in this region. It was registered under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency credits the run of glazed windows and handrails with giving the building its character.
Where to Stand
View the Fubokaku Annex from the front garden. Stand just short of the bend and both wings come into view at once, their windows set at an angle to each other.
The handrail reads as a single horizontal line along the outside of the windows, tightening the outline of the building. Follow the repeat of equal-width windows along the facade and the logic of identical rooms becomes obvious.
From the north-west corner of the annex a covered corridor leads to the Palace Building. Built in 1932, the Palace Building connects to the Main Building only by way of this wing.
Visiting the Annex
The Fubokaku Annex is in use as guest accommodation, and only overnight guests can go inside. Day visits are not offered.
Even as a guest, do not enter rooms occupied by others. When photographing the exterior from the garden, take care not to capture guest rooms or other guests through the windows.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fubokaku Annex
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Fubokaku Annex built?
- In the Taisho era, between 1912 and 1926. It extended the inn's guest rooms after the Main Building, said to date from 1907.
- What shape is the Fubokaku Annex?
- It has two wings: one runs north to south from a corridor off the Main Building, the other turns east from its southern end, forming a chevron-shaped plan.
- What are the guest rooms in the Fubokaku Annex like?
- Rooms of identical shape and size line the front garden, each with wide glazed windows and a handrail running along the outside.
- Can visitors go inside the Fubokaku Annex?
- Only overnight guests of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn. The wing is in use as guest accommodation and day visits are not offered.
- When was the Fubokaku Annex registered as a cultural property?
- On 19 December 2014, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property with registration number 04-0098.
Basic Information
| Name | Fubokaku Annex (不忘閣離れ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aone Onsen, Kawasaki Town, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 04-0098 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, sheet-iron roof, building area 225 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn) |
| Public Access | Guest wing of a working inn; interior open to overnight guests only |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Fubokaku Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010248
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fubokaku Annex
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/263342
- Miyagi Prefecture: registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, 19 December 2014 (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku-toushin.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
