A Pavilion for the Lord's Kin
Fubokaku Palace Building (不忘閣御殿棟, Fubōkaku Gotentō) is a two-storey timber guest pavilion of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn at Aone Onsen in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, built in 1932 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014. It is widely known as Aone Goten, the Aone Palace.
It joins the north-west corner of the Annex by a covered corridor. The roof is an irimoya (hip-and-gable) form sheathed in copper, with Chidori-hafu gables on its north and south faces. At 161 square metres it is smaller than the Main Building or the Annex, but it is the only one of the seven registered buildings roofed in copper.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an inn building intended to lodge members of the former lord's family. An inn that had long kept the Date lords' bath was, in the Showa era, building afresh for guests of that lineage. The Japanese Association to Protect Secluded Hot Springs, in its profile of the inn, says the present Aone Goten recreated the earlier palace in 1932.
The Raised Room and the Fine Coffered Ceiling
The heart of the Fubokaku Palace Building is its principal room of 12 and a half tatami mats. Its floor is raised a step as a jodan, the dais reserved for the most senior person present, and it is fitted with fine alcove furnishings. Overhead is a kogumi coffered ceiling, a Gō-tenjō whose grid is subdivided into small lattices, one of the most labour-intensive ceiling types.
Glazed windows wrap the outside of the building, and beyond them runs a hanekoran, a Kōran balustrade whose ends curl upward, a detail borrowed from temples and high-ranking residences. Modern glass and old ceremonial ornament share the same facade.
The building was registered under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency praises the formality shown by the raised principal room and the lattice ceiling, and the elegance of the design as a whole.
What to Look For
Outside, look for the chidori-hafu on the north and south faces. The triangular gables rise from partway up the hipped roof and give a two-storey building the weight of a palace. Follow the balustrade round the windows and notice how its ends turn up.
Inside, compare the step between the raised principal room and the room beside it, and the fineness of the ceiling grid. The inn holds calligraphy, paintings and heirlooms associated with the Date family, and travel writers describe the Fubokaku Palace Building as the place where they are shown.
Visiting the Palace Building
The interior is guest space, and day visits are not offered. On its official website the inn says it shows its Date-related calligraphy, paintings and antiques to guests who ask, at set times. Confirm the time and content of the tour when you book.
Ask the staff before photographing any of the objects on display. If you are not staying, please keep off the grounds.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fubokaku Palace Building
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Q&A
- Is the Fubokaku Palace Building the same as Aone Goten?
- Yes. Fubokaku Palace Building is the registered name; the building is widely known as Aone Goten, the Aone Palace.
- When was the Fubokaku Palace Building built?
- In 1932. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an inn building meant to lodge members of the former lord's family.
- What is special about the main room of the Fubokaku Palace Building?
- The principal room of 12 and a half tatami mats is raised as a jodan dais, with fine alcove fittings and a kogumi lattice coffered ceiling.
- Can visitors see inside the Fubokaku Palace Building?
- The interior is for overnight guests. The inn says it shows Date-related calligraphy, paintings and antiques to guests who ask, at set times. Day visits are not offered.
- When was the Fubokaku Palace Building registered as a cultural property?
- On 19 December 2014, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property with registration number 04-0099.
Basic Information
| Name | Fubokaku Palace Building (不忘閣御殿棟), known as Aone Goten |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aone Onsen, Kawasaki Town, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 04-0099 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, copper roof, building area 161 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn) |
| Public Access | Part of a working inn; interior open to overnight guests only, with guided viewing by the inn |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Fubokaku Palace Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010249
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fubokaku Palace Building
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/277943
- Miyagi Prefecture: registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, 19 December 2014 (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku-toushin.html
- Yumoto Fubokaku official website: history (Japanese)
- https://www.fubokaku.com/history.html
- Japanese Association to Protect Secluded Hot Springs: Yumoto Fubokaku (Japanese)
- https://nihon-hitou.org/member/1404
Last verified: 2026.09.25
