Seikokan Main Building: A Three-Storey Spa Inn at Deyu Onsen
The Seikokan Main Building (清廣館本館) is a three-storey timber hot-spring inn built around 1928 in Deyu, Agano City, Niigata Prefecture, and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Seikokan Main Building as a large hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) building on an L-shaped plan, with a footprint of 257 square metres. It was renovated around 1965, in 1975 and in 2008, and is owned by Seikokan Co., Ltd.
Deyu Onsen lies at the foot of Mount Gozu. The inn relates the legend that the priest Kukai struck the ground with his staff in 809 and the water welled up, and calls it the oldest hot spring in Echigo.
Why It Was Registered
The Seikokan Main Building is registration number 15-0399, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency praises the guest rooms, each finished in a different timber for its alcove post and fitted in a sukiya style rich in prized woods, and the exterior, whose upper floors carry projecting eaves over rows of glass windows and railings, lending the building the air of a traditional spa inn.
The inn says its rooms were built by shrine carpenters vying with one another, so each is different: an alcove of a single board of zelkova, an elaborate writing bay, storm shutters of Podocarpus, handrails of five-needle pine and finely grained lintels.
During the war, the inn says, the Deyu inns served as army hospitals, and Seikokan became a branch known as Seizanryo; the old signboard is displayed in the lobby.
What to Look For
From outside, look at the eaves of the second and third floors, where projecting beams carry the roof over a band of glass windows and railings. This is the face of the Seikokan Main Building, and the L-shaped, three-storey timber mass with its hip-and-gable roof reads best from the street below.
Guests can compare the alcove posts and timbers room by room. The inn does not take requests for specific rooms; rooms from 6 to 14 mats are assigned by booking order and party size.
Visiting
The Seikokan Main Building is part of a working inn, and only overnight guests see the interior; the inn is not currently accepting day bathers. Stays start at 16,000 yen per person with dinner and breakfast (17,750 yen including taxes), normally for two or more guests, with check-in at 3 p.m. and check-out at 10 a.m. Payment is cash only, the building is non-smoking and there is no lift. Bookings are by phone on 0250-62-3833, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
By car it is about 7 kilometres (15 minutes) from the Yasuda interchange of the Ban-etsu Expressway, or about 15 minutes by car from Suibara Station on the JR Uetsu Line; Agano city buses from Suibara Station take about 25 minutes. The exterior can be seen from the street, but keep clear of arriving guests.
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Q&A
- What is the Seikokan Main Building?
- A three-storey timber hot-spring inn with a hip-and-gable roof on an L-shaped plan, built around 1928 in Deyu, Agano City, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.
- What should I look for at the Seikokan Main Building?
- Guest rooms each finished in different prized timbers in a sukiya style, and upper floors with projecting eaves over rows of glass windows and railings.
- Can I stay at the Seikokan Main Building?
- Yes. Rates start at 16,000 yen per person with two meals (17,750 yen including taxes); book by phone.
- Does Seikokan accept day bathers?
- The inn says it is not currently accepting day bathers.
- How do I get to the Seikokan Main Building?
- About 15 minutes by car from the Yasuda interchange or from JR Suibara Station, or about 25 minutes by city bus from Suibara Station.
Basic Information
| Name | Seikokan Main Building (清廣館本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 802 Terayama, Deyu, Agano City, Niigata Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/3/26 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 3 storeys, tiled roof, building area 257 square metres |
| Owner | Seikokan Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Working inn; interior for overnight guests only (no day bathing) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Seikokan Main Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010430
- Cultural Heritage Online: Seikokan Main Building (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/289399
- Seikokan: About the inn (Japanese)
- https://seikokan.jp/about.html
- Seikokan: Rates (Japanese)
- https://seikokan.jp/030.html
- Seikokan: Access (Japanese)
- https://seikokan.jp/access.html
- Seikokan: History of Deyu Onsen (Japanese)
- https://seikokan.jp/026.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27