About the Masuya Ryokan Main Building
The Masuya Ryokan Main Building (ますや旅館本館, Masuya Ryokan Honkan) is a three-storey timber inn building of around 1907 in Tazawa Onsen, Aoki Village, Nagano Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
Of the six registered buildings that make up Masuya Ryokan, this is the largest. It covers a building area of 338 m², measuring 14 ken along its length and 6 ken in depth (a ken is a traditional bay of roughly 1.8 metres), under a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof laid with pantiles. It stands at the heart of the spa town yet sits back a little from the street.
The ground floor held a waiting area for arriving guests and rooms where meals were prepared; the second and third floors are guest rooms. Both upper floors are wrapped in open verandas, so every room steps out onto a view. Corridors and shared walls tie the Main Building to the East Wing, New Wing, West Wing and Storehouse, making it the hub through which the whole inn is reached.
Why the Masuya Ryokan Main Building Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Masuya Ryokan Main Building for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its description draws attention to the building's bulk and height and to the thick round columns exposed inside, calling it robust in both its exterior and its interior.
A 14-ken, three-storey block stands out in a small mountain onsen, and that sheer mass is what gives the Main Building its character. The national database classes it under tertiary industry, in other words as a commercial building made for receiving guests rather than a dwelling.
Dated to about 1907, the Main Building falls in the middle of the site's chronology: later than the early Meiji East Wing, earlier than the Taisho-period New Wing and West Wing. One reasonable reading is that the Main Building fixed the centre of the inn and the Taisho additions then grew around it.
What to Look For at the Masuya Ryokan Main Building
The best outside view of the Masuya Ryokan Main Building is from the east. The Agency describes the eastern face, where the Main Building, East Wing and New Wing appear together, as the inn's most conspicuous side. The staggered three-storey hip-and-gable roofs feel far taller from the lane than they do in photographs.
Inside, look for the thick round columns on the ground floor. The Agency names them specifically as evidence of the building's robust construction, and they carry the space that once served as the guests' waiting area.
Rooms in the Main Building are standard 8-mat tatami rooms. According to the inn, the veranda outside them has a table and chairs looking across the tiered roofs and the surrounding hills. From the third-floor veranda, the roofs of the East Wing and Storehouse seem close enough to touch, which shows how tightly the six buildings are packed together.
Visiting the Masuya Ryokan Main Building
The Masuya Ryokan Main Building is a guest wing of a working inn, and only overnight guests may enter. The inn does not accept day-bathing visitors, so there is no drop-in way to see the interior. Guests can explore the building freely, from the reception area on the ground floor up to the third-floor verandas.
From outside, you view the Main Building from the public lane. Because it stands at the back, you look up at its roofs over the Storehouse and East Wing in front. Please stay on the street and do not enter the entrance or grounds. For photography inside, check with the inn when you stay. Directions and booking conditions are covered on the Masuya Ryokan page.
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Q&A
- When was the Masuya Ryokan Main Building built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Masuya Ryokan Main Building to around 1907. Among the inn's six registered buildings, it is later than the early Meiji East Wing and earlier than the Taisho-period New Wing and West Wing.
- Can I visit the Masuya Ryokan Main Building without staying overnight?
- No. Only overnight guests can enter, and Masuya Ryokan does not accept day-bathing visitors. The exterior of the Main Building can be seen from the lane through Tazawa Onsen.
- How big is the Masuya Ryokan Main Building?
- The Masuya Ryokan Main Building is a three-storey timber building with a building area of 338 m², measuring 14 ken by 6 ken. It is the largest of the inn's six registered buildings.
- Can guests stay in the Masuya Ryokan Main Building?
- Yes. The inn lists 8-mat tatami rooms in the Main Building, with a veranda outside offering views of the tiered roofs and hills.
- Where is the best place to view the Masuya Ryokan Main Building?
- From the east. The Agency identifies the eastern face, where the Masuya Ryokan Main Building, East Wing and New Wing appear together, as the inn's most conspicuous side.
Basic Information
| Name | Masuya Ryokan Main Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 2686 Tazawa, Aoki Village, Chiisagata County, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 338 m², 14 ken by 6 ken |
| Owner | Masuya Ryokan Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior open to overnight guests only (no day bathing); exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: ますや旅館本館
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004802
- Cultural Heritage Online: ますや旅館本館
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/170112
- Masuya Ryokan official site: Rooms and Facilities
- https://www.masuya-1ban.com/facilities.php
- Masuya Ryokan official site: FAQ
- https://www.masuya-1ban.com/faq.php
Last verified: 2026.09.26
