About the Masuya Ryokan New Wing
The Masuya Ryokan New Wing (ますや旅館新築, Masuya Ryokan Shinchiku) is a three-storey timber guest wing built in the early Taisho period in Tazawa Onsen, Aoki Village, Nagano Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
Its registered name, Shinchiku, simply means "the newly built one", and the national database records it under that name. It stands a little apart to the north-east of the Main Building and is joined to it by a covered corridor with a stair hall. With a building area of 209 m² and a plan of 8 ken by 6 ken, it is the second-largest of Masuya Ryokan's six registered buildings, after the Main Building.
The roof is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) with pantiles. The ground floor was used for storage and the upper floors for guest rooms, both ringed by verandas. What sets the New Wing apart is that pent roofs project over the second- and third-floor verandas too.
Why the Masuya Ryokan New Wing Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Masuya Ryokan New Wing as lively in appearance because of the extra pent roofs at the second and third floors. Each level adds another band of eaves, cutting horizontal lines across the facade and keeping a large block from reading as a plain box.
The Agency also credits the New Wing with completing, together with the Main Building and East Wing, the eastern face that is the inn's most conspicuous side. The Main Building and East Wing were standing by the late Meiji period; when the New Wing went up to the north-east in the early Taisho years, the view from the east became a row of three three-storey blocks.
Registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, the New Wing is best understood alongside its neighbours rather than on its own. Of the six buildings, it shows most clearly why they were registered as a set.
What to Look For at the Masuya Ryokan New Wing
Walk around to the east side for the classic view. The East Wing is in front, the Main Building behind, and the Masuya Ryokan New Wing to the north, three roofs at different heights and angles. The New Wing is the one with the most tiers of eaves, which makes it easy to pick out.
Guests reach the New Wing along the corridor from the Main Building. The stair hall set into this corridor is one of the features the Agency records, and walking through it shows how a separately built block was tied back to the Main Building.
The inn's room guide lists three buildings with guest rooms: the East Wing, the Main Building and the "Shinkan" (new building). The Shinkan offers a second-floor suite of 8-mat and 6-mat rooms with a separate 8-mat dining room, and a third-floor pair of 8-mat and 6-mat rooms whose surrounding veranda looks far across the hills. Its position and floor layout suggest the Shinkan is the registered New Wing, but the inn does not state this, so confirm when booking.
Visiting the Masuya Ryokan New Wing
Only overnight guests can enter the Masuya Ryokan New Wing. The inn does not accept day bathers or sightseeing visits.
View the exterior from the lane through Tazawa Onsen. Because the New Wing stands back to the north-east of the Main Building, the east side, looking past the Main Building and East Wing, gives the best angle. Please stay on the street rather than entering the grounds. Directions and booking conditions are on the Masuya Ryokan page.
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Q&A
- What does the name of the Masuya Ryokan New Wing mean?
- Its Japanese name, Shinchiku, means "the newly built one", and the national database registers it under that name. The Masuya Ryokan New Wing dates from the early Taisho period, later than the Meiji-era Main Building and East Wing.
- When was the Masuya Ryokan New Wing built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Masuya Ryokan New Wing to the early Taisho period. It was registered in 2005.
- Can guests stay in the Masuya Ryokan New Wing?
- The inn lists guest rooms on the second and third floors of its "Shinkan", which by position and floor layout appears to be the Masuya Ryokan New Wing. The inn does not confirm the match, so ask when booking.
- What is distinctive about the Masuya Ryokan New Wing's exterior?
- Pent roofs project over the second- and third-floor verandas as well as the ground floor. The Agency describes the resulting look of the Masuya Ryokan New Wing as lively.
- How is the Masuya Ryokan New Wing connected to the Main Building?
- The Masuya Ryokan New Wing stands a little apart to the north-east of the Main Building and is linked to it by a covered corridor with a stair hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Masuya Ryokan New Wing |
|---|---|
| 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 209 m², 8 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: ますや旅館新築
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004805
- Cultural Heritage Online: ますや旅館新築
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/151415
- 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
