Former Nankan Hotel Annex (Mashiko Yuwakan)

An Overview of the Property

The Former Nanma Hotel Annex, now operated as the Mashiko Yuwakan inn, is a wooden two-story building constructed around 1929 (Showa 4) in the deep-mountain hot-spring resort of Okunikko Yumoto. The annex was dismantled and relocated in 1973 to its current site in Mashiko, where it was carefully reassembled next to the Tsukamoto kiln, the largest producer of Mashiko pottery. In April 2020, the building was officially registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

The structure occupies 298 square meters of built area, crowned with a metal-sheet roof, and is composed in an unusual U-shaped plan in which two gabled wings extend forward from each end of the main gabled section. It stands as a rare and well-preserved example of early Showa-era Japanese-style hotel architecture.

From a Nikko Hot-Spring Hotel to a Wartime Imperial Shelter

The Nanma Hotel traces its origins to 1882 (Meiji 15), when it opened its doors in the remote hot-spring village of Yumoto high in the Nikko mountains. In an era when Okunikko was becoming a summer retreat for foreign diplomats and Japanese high society, the hotel catered to visitors drawn by the sulfurous baths, alpine lakes, and cool mountain air. The present building, completed around 1929, is the "Second Annex" added during the hotel's most prosperous decades.

Its most historically significant chapter began in July 1945. As American air raids devastated Japanese cities, Crown Prince Akihito—then a boy of eleven and the future Emperor of Japan—was evacuated here with his fellow pupils as part of the nationwide program of wartime student evacuation. On August 15, 1945, he listened to the Emperor Showa's radio broadcast announcing Japan's surrender from a tatami-mat room within this very building. That room, known as the Goza-sho, has been preserved and can still be visited today.

Why the Building Was Designated a Cultural Property

The annex earned its place on the national register because it is an unusually well-preserved example of a modern Japanese-style resort hotel, combining architectural refinement with a richly layered social and historical significance.

Architecturally, the building showcases a confident fusion of traditional Japanese design with the scale and comfort expected of a modern resort hotel. The exterior employs shinkabe construction, in which the wooden structural pillars are left exposed against plaster infill panels—a method more commonly seen in traditional shrines, temples, and high-quality townhouses than in hotels. Decorative elements such as hanekoran cantilevered balustrades and udegi-bisashi bracketed eaves give the façade an air of quiet elegance, while the interior incorporates fine hardwoods in the flooring of guest rooms. Taken together, these features illustrate how early Showa builders reinterpreted the vocabulary of traditional Japanese architecture for a new form of hospitality.

Beyond its design, the building is treasured as a living witness to modern Japanese history. It is the only wartime imperial evacuation site of the present Emperor Emeritus that survives and is openly accessible to visitors, making it an irreplaceable place for reflecting on the last days of the Second World War and the lessons of peace.

Highlights for Visitors

The Goza-sho: A Room Where History Was Heard

The Goza-sho is the modest tatami room in which the young Crown Prince listened to the surrender broadcast in August 1945. Preserved in its original atmosphere, the space is opened to the public on designated days. Standing in this quiet chamber, with its softly glowing shoji screens and worn wooden pillars, is a rare opportunity to feel the weight of a single moment that changed a nation.

The Peace Gallery

Adjoining the Goza-sho, the Peace Gallery exhibits archival panels and short video programs that explain the wartime background of Japan, the student evacuation program, and the significance of the building itself. The gallery is modest in scale but thoughtfully curated, and provides valuable context for international visitors interested in Japan's 20th-century history.

Craftsmanship in Every Detail

Those with an eye for architecture will want to linger over the building's careful details. Look for the sculpted brackets beneath the eaves, the stately wooden staircase that greets guests just inside the entrance, and the premium hardwood floors of the upper guest rooms. Even the bathrooms are inlaid with handmade Mashiko-ware tiles, a contemporary touch that honors the town's living craft tradition.

Staying Overnight

The inn welcomes overnight guests in just five spacious rooms, each measuring at least 18 tatami mats and configured as Japanese-Western hybrid suites with private shower rooms. A small bath clad in Mashiko-yaki tiles is reserved for guest use on a private basis. Breakfast, served in locally made pottery, features seasonal ingredients grown in and around the town.

Exploring the Surrounding Area

The Mashiko Pottery Town

Mashiko is one of Japan's best-loved pottery towns, home to some 160 kilns and studios. The town's signature Mashiko-ware has been made here since 1853, and it rose to international fame in the 20th century through the Mingei folk-craft movement led by the Living National Treasure Hamada Shoji. Mashiko Yuwakan stands directly adjacent to the town's largest kiln complex, Tsukamoto, which offers pottery-making experiences and a well-stocked shop.

Mashiko Sankokan

A short stroll from the inn brings visitors to Mashiko Sankokan, Hamada Shoji's former residence and private collection, where his carefully gathered ceramics, textiles, and folk-craft objects are displayed in traditional buildings set amid a peaceful garden. Nearby, the Mashiko Ceramic Art Museum presents both Hamada's own work and rotating exhibitions of contemporary ceramic art.

Mashiko Pottery Fair

Twice a year, during the Golden Week holiday in early May and around early November, the streets of Mashiko fill with around 600 tents hosting potters and artisans from across Japan. The fair draws several hundred thousand visitors each season and is an extraordinary opportunity to buy directly from the makers.

Michi-no-Eki Mashiko

The modern roadside station Michi-no-Eki Mashiko, a short drive from the inn, won the Japan Institute of Architects' Grand Prize in 2017 for its striking design that echoes the surrounding hills. It houses a marketplace of local produce and pottery, a farm-to-table restaurant, and an open lawn overlooking the valley.