A Three-Storey Timber Inn Building of 1941
The Ichijo Ryokan Wooden Main Building (一條旅舘木造本館) is a three-storey timber building of a hot-spring inn at Kamasaki Onsen, wrapped in corridors with railings and wooden fittings of 1941 in Fukuoka Kuramoto, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a three-storey timber building, partly with a basement, with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 228 square metres; registration number 04-0123.
Three Storeys Wrapped in Corridors
The wooden main building of Ichijo Ryokan, a hot-spring inn for curative stays at Kamasaki Onsen on the edge of Shiroishi, Miyagi, dates from 1941 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was rebuilt after damage from heavy rain in 1937.
On every floor, from the first to the third, corridors run round all four sides, and 10 tatami rooms of 8, 6 and 4.5 mats line up inside. Besides its elegant face of railings and wooden fittings, it uses much fine cedar, and most of its posts run unbroken through the floors (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
At the main building, look for the railings of the corridors round every floor and the long runs of wooden fittings (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The three buildings of Ichijo Ryokan are owned by Ichijo Ryokan Limited Partnership (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to a release of June 16, 2025, the inn traces its start to about 500 years ago, when the first head of the Ichijo family, of Kyoto court descent, opened lodgings at Kamasaki, and a new resort, THE YUKAWA, was to open there in September 2025. No official information was found on the current use of the three registered buildings or on visiting them.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1941, after rain damage in 1937.
- How many rooms are there?
- 10 tatami rooms (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What marks the outside?
- Railings and wooden fittings.
- What about the frame?
- Fine cedar and through-posts.
- When was the Ichijo Ryokan Wooden Main Building registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ichijo Ryokan Wooden Main Building (一條旅舘木造本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 40-4 Kamasaki Ichiban, Fukuoka Kuramoto, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, three storeys, part basement, sheet-metal roof, 228 m² |
| Owner | Ichijo Ryokan Limited Partnership |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Ichijo Ryokan Wooden Main Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011036
- THE YUKAWA, a New Resort Opening in September 2025 (Kyodo News PR Wire, June 16, 2025, in Japanese)
- https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202506160608
Last verified: 2026.11.07
