Isagoya Ryokan: A Three-Storey Inn at the Foot of Kuonji's Approach
Isagoya Ryokan (いさご屋旅館) is an early Showa-period (1926 to 1945) three-storey timber inn in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
It stands where the narrow Higashidani approach begins its climb to Kuonji, head temple of the Nichiren school on Mount Minobu, and Yamanashi Prefecture notes that it is one of the few inns left in Minobu. The building is timber, 3 storeys, with a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof entered on the long side, tiled, and covering 201 square metres.
According to Yamanashi Prefecture, a fire destroyed the earlier building in 1940, and to rebuild quickly the owners are said to have moved a three-storey former brothel house from Fujinomiya in Shizuoka Prefecture. Known at the time as the Fujinomiya Goten, it was later extended into its present form. The inn itself says the building came from near the Fujinomiya Sengen Shrine.
Why It Was Registered
Isagoya Ryokan is registration number 19-0076, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises its exterior, with an entrance under its own hip-and-gable roof and upswept balustrades at the windows, for lending atmosphere to the approach to an ancient temple.
The south side of the second floor is a large banquet room and the third floor is lined with guest rooms. Yamanashi Prefecture says the banquet room is 56 mats under a boat-bottom ceiling, and that the transoms in each guest room carry a different carved design.
The Agency also points to the finish inside: stair treads cut from single boards of hinoki cypress, parquetry, and woven ajiro ceilings.
What to Look For
Looking up from the approach, notice the hanekoran, balustrades with upswept rails fixed to the second- and third-floor windows. They set a rhythm along the facade of Isagoya Ryokan and lighten its three-storey front.
The entrance has its own small hip-and-gable roof. Find a spot where it overlaps the main roof behind.
Inside, the single-board hinoki stairs and ajiro ceilings show the care taken over the building's finish.
Visiting Isagoya Ryokan
Isagoya Ryokan is a working inn, and generally only overnight guests go inside. The official website lists 14 Japanese-style rooms for up to 100 guests, with rates from 9,500 yen per person including dinner and breakfast, tax included. Bookings and enquiries are by phone on 0556-62-0028.
The nearest station is Minobu on the JR Minobu Line, and the inn will discuss pick-ups from the station. By car, the Minobusan interchange on the Chubu-Odan Expressway is close by. The exterior can be seen from the approach; keep clear of guests coming and going.
Q&A
- What is Isagoya Ryokan?
- An early Showa-period three-storey timber inn with a hip-and-gable roof at the foot of the Higashidani approach to Kuonji, covering 201 square metres. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
- Was Isagoya Ryokan moved from somewhere else?
- Yamanashi Prefecture says that after a fire in 1940 the owners are said to have moved a three-storey timber building from Fujinomiya in Shizuoka, then known as the Fujinomiya Goten.
- What should I look for at Isagoya Ryokan?
- The upswept balustrades at the second- and third-floor windows, the gabled entrance, stairs of single hinoki boards, ajiro ceilings and the 56-mat banquet room.
- Can I stay at Isagoya Ryokan?
- Yes. It is a working inn with 14 Japanese-style rooms; the official website gives rates from 9,500 yen with two meals, and bookings are by phone on 0556-62-0028.
- How do I get to Isagoya Ryokan?
- The nearest station is Minobu on the JR Minobu Line, and the inn can discuss pick-ups. By car, the Minobusan interchange on the Chubu-Odan Expressway is nearby.
Basic Information
| Name | Isagoya Ryokan (いさご屋旅館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3696 Minobu, Minobu Town, Minamikoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/2/25 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 3 storeys, tiled roof, building area 201 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Working inn; interior for overnight guests only. Exterior visible from the approach |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Isagoya Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010965
- Cultural Heritage Online: Isagoya Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/254555
- Yamanashi Prefecture: Isagoya Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp/bunka/bunkazaihogo/bunkazai_data/yamanashinobunkazai_ty0072.html
- Isagoya Ryokan official website (Japanese)
- https://isagoya.minobu.jp/
- Isagoya Ryokan official website: Access (Japanese)
- https://isagoya.minobu.jp/access/
Last verified: 2026.09.27