A Meiji Outbuilding With a Stone-Weighted Roof
Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho (中房温泉旧湯会所, Nakabusa Onsen Kyu-Yukaisho) is a two-storey timber building of the Meiji era at Nakabusa Onsen in Hodaka Ariake, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011. It carries registration number 20-0373 and stands southwest of the Main Building Kiku.
The plan is square, 6.4 metres by 6.4 metres, under a gabled roof running east to west, with a building area of 46 square metres. The walls are clad in shitami-itabari clapboarding, with windows on the south side. Inside, the west half of the ground floor is a plank-floored space and the east side is partitioned into rooms.
Sources disagree slightly on its date. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the early Meiji era; Hoyano Shigeo of Shinshu University puts it in the mid-Meiji. Either way it belongs to the years when Nakabusa was turning from an alum miners' bathing hut into an inn for climbers.
A Name Without a Record
Yukaisho suggests a building connected with running the baths, perhaps an office or a meeting place for the spa. No published source found for this article explains how it was actually used. The layout, with an open plank-floored hall on one side and closed rooms on the other, invites the idea of a place where people gathered and staff were stationed, but that remains a guess.
What the registration rests on is the roof. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the building's distinctive stone-weighted roof seen against the trees behind it, and Hoyano lists the Former Yukaisho alongside the Main Building Kiku as a building whose stone-weighted board roof keeps the historic character of the spa. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Two Roofs on One Ridge
Look up from the south. On that slope the roof is laid with wooden boards held down by stones; on the north slope it is sheet metal. The ridge divides the two.
Stone-weighted board roofing needs no nails: the weight of the stones keeps the boards in place, and a damaged board can be swapped by lifting the stones off. It was once common on mountain houses and huts. The record does not say when the north side was changed to metal, but the more shaded slope is the one that would wear fastest.
The best viewpoint is the southwest corner of the Main Building Kiku. From there the metal roof of the Meiji guest wing and the stone-weighted roof of the Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho sit side by side, with the dark trees behind.
Seeing the Building
The Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho stands inside a working inn. Its exterior can be seen from within the grounds by overnight guests and by those booking one of the inn's day plans, which include a walk past the registered buildings. Interior access is not advertised.
The stone roof is on the south slope only, so approach from the south. No photography rule is posted, but guests move through this area, so be considerate. Season and transport details are on the Nakabusa Onsen page.
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Q&A
- What is unusual about the roof of Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho?
- It is divided at the ridge: the south slope is covered with wooden boards weighted down by stones, the north slope with sheet metal. The stone roof is visible from the south.
- When was Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji era, while architectural historian Hoyano Shigeo gives the mid-Meiji era. Both place it in the Meiji period.
- What was Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho used for?
- The name suggests a building tied to running the baths, but no published source explains its original use. The ground floor has a plank-floored space on the west and partitioned rooms on the east.
- How large is Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho?
- It is a two-storey timber building 6.4 metres square, with a building area of 46 square metres.
- Can visitors enter Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho?
- Interior access is not advertised. Overnight guests and day-plan users can see the exterior from within the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho (中房温泉旧湯会所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7226 Hodaka Ariake and other lots, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 20-0373 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/07/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, gabled roof of boards partly covered in sheet metal, building area 46 sq m, 6.4 m by 6.4 m |
| Owner | Nakabusa Onsen Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable within the grounds by overnight guests and day-plan users; interior access not advertised |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakabusa Onsen Former Yukaisho
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008686
- Hoyano Shigeo, essay on the mountain culture of Nakabusa Onsen (Nakabusa Onsen website)
- https://nakabusa.com/pdf/historyandnature_03.pdf
- Nakabusa Onsen official website (baths, history, day plans)
- https://nakabusa.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
