About the Masuya Ryokan West Wing
The Masuya Ryokan West Wing (ますや旅館西館, Masuya Ryokan Nishikan) is a small three-storey timber guest wing built in the late Taisho period in Tazawa Onsen, Aoki Village, Nagano Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
It is attached to the south-west corner of the Main Building and presents two faces, south and west, to the streets. With a building area of just 53 m², it is the smallest of Masuya Ryokan's four three-storey timber buildings. The plan measures 4 ken by 3.5 ken, and the hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof of pantiles is echoed by pent roofs over the first and second storeys.
The ground floor served as storage and the two upper floors as guest rooms, each with a veranda running round all four sides. Dated to the late Taisho period, it is the most recent of the six registered buildings.
Why the Masuya Ryokan West Wing Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the Masuya Ryokan West Wing, though small, stands on a corner plot, and describes it as indispensable to the inn's dignified street frontage. Like the others, it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
A corner building is seen from both approaches. The West Wing holds the south-west corner of the complex, and by layering verandas and eaves along its two street fronts it raises a three-storey corner at the foot of the larger Main Building behind. It has less than a sixth of the Main Building's floor area, yet it sits exactly where the outline of the inn is defined.
Its date matters too. After the early Meiji East Wing and storehouses, the Main Building of around 1907 and the early Taisho New Wing, the West Wing was the last to be added, completing the group of six.
What to Look For at the Masuya Ryokan West Wing
The best view of the Masuya Ryokan West Wing is from the corner where the south and west streets meet. The slender building stacks its eaves at each storey and finishes with a hip-and-gable roof; three storeys raised on a narrow 4-ken plan give it a tall, upright outline.
From the corner you also see two sides of the wrap-around veranda at once, and can follow the second- and third-floor verandas as they turn the corner of the building.
Behind it rises the broad roof of the Main Building. Standing in front of the West Wing, you see the small three-storey block and the large one overlap, a quick lesson in how closely Masuya Ryokan's buildings crowd together.
Visiting the Masuya Ryokan West Wing
The interior of the Masuya Ryokan West Wing is not open to the public. The inn's room guide (checked September 2026) lists rooms in the East Wing, Shinkan and Main Building, but none in the West Wing. Since the inn also does not accept day bathers, visitors can see only the exterior.
The exterior can be viewed from the corner of the south and west streets. Because the West Wing fronts directly onto the street, the whole building can be seen without entering the grounds. Directions and booking conditions are on the Masuya Ryokan page.
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Q&A
- When was the Masuya Ryokan West Wing built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Masuya Ryokan West Wing to the late Taisho period, making it the most recent of the inn's six registered buildings.
- Where is the best place to see the Masuya Ryokan West Wing?
- From the corner where the south and west streets meet. The Masuya Ryokan West Wing stands on a corner plot with two faces to the street, so you can see all of it without entering the grounds.
- Can guests stay in the Masuya Ryokan West Wing?
- The inn's room guide (checked September 2026) does not list any rooms in the Masuya Ryokan West Wing. Its listed rooms are in the East Wing, Shinkan and Main Building.
- How big is the Masuya Ryokan West Wing?
- The Masuya Ryokan West Wing is a three-storey timber building with a building area of 53 m², measuring 4 ken by 3.5 ken.
- Why was the Masuya Ryokan West Wing registered?
- The Agency valued the Masuya Ryokan West Wing because, though small, it occupies a corner plot and is indispensable to the inn's dignified street frontage. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Masuya Ryokan West 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 53 m², 4 ken by 3.5 ken |
| Owner | Masuya Ryokan Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior not open (not listed among guest rooms); exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: ますや旅館西館
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004803
- Cultural Heritage Online: ますや旅館西館
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184713
- 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
