A Lively Front by Yonezawa Station
The Hotel Otowaya Main Building (ホテル音羽屋本館) is a three-storey timber hotel building of 1898 in Ekimae, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on May 7, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a three-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 100 square metres; registration number 06-0005.
A Three-Storey Building at the Station
The Hotel Otowaya Main Building is a three-storey timber building by Yonezawa Station, with a hip-and-gable roof and a triangular gable on the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The ground floor has arched doorways and windows, the first floor bay windows, and the second floor windows shaped like the cusped windows of temples, while the corner posts and other members are picked out in colour (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the lively design of the front, which makes the building stand out by Yonezawa Station, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the windows, which change shape from floor to floor (Agency for Cultural Affairs): arches on the ground floor, bay windows above, and cusped windows at the top, framed by coloured corner posts.
Visiting
The Agency records the owner as a driving-school company. No official information on its current use or interior access was found.
Q&A
- When was the Hotel Otowaya Main Building built?
- In 1898 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is it?
- In Ekimae, by Yonezawa Station, Yamagata Prefecture.
- What should I look for?
- The arched ground floor, the bay windows and the cusped top-floor windows with coloured corner posts.
- What is the roof like?
- A hip-and-gable roof with a triangular gable on the front.
- When was the Hotel Otowaya Main Building registered?
- On May 7, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hotel Otowaya Main Building (ホテル音羽屋本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1-40 Ekimae, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/05/07 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 3 storeys, tiled roof, 100 m² |
| Owner | A driving-school company (Japanese name in the Agency record) |
| Public Access | No official information on use or access |
References
- Hotel Otowaya Main Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000120
Last verified: 2026.10.19