Iwase Yumoto Onsen's "Thatched Roof" Inn

【The steam of Heian, memories of 1200 years】The history told by Iwase Yumoto Onsen 'thatched-roof inn'

Iwase Yumoto Onsen stands in the mountains of Tenei Village. Its origins are said to date back to the early Heian period during the reign of Emperors Tenji and Tenmu, or to have been discovered by Kobo Daishi (Kukai), boasting a history of over 1200 years. The inn with its symbolic 'thatched roof' is not just a lodging facility but a living time capsule that conveys the 'history of prayer and healing' from the medieval to modern times.

■ Did Yoshitsune also find healing? A post town alive with legends

This land is etched with numerous footprints of historical heroes.

• The legend of Yoshitsune and Benkei: In the late Heian period, there is a legend that Yoshitsune and his companions, fleeing to Oshu Hiraizumi from his brother Yoritomo, healed their travel fatigue at this hot spring. The mountain ridges they must have gazed upon during their arduous crossing still welcome travelers today in their unchanged form.
• The prosperity of the Edo post town 'Yumoto': During the Edo period, it flourished as a hidden hot spring of the Aizu domain and as a transportation hub connecting Nigi and Iwase with Aizu. Many of the current thatched buildings inherit the style of that time, quietly conveying the fervor of the past where samurai and merchants mingled.

■ Experience 'Eternal tranquility' under the thatched roof

The blackened beams and pillars, smoked by the irori hearth, have supported the lives of generations.

• A living cultural heritage: The thatched roof is a crystallization of wisdom that the local people have preserved with the spirit of 'yui' (connection). When you place yourself beneath it and soak in the flowing hot spring, you feel as if you are merging into the torrent of time that has continued since the Heian period.

The 'soul of Japan' lost in exchange for convenience still breathes here. The sacred spring of Heian, loved by heroes and protected by farmers. Would you like to embark on a journey to unravel a thousand years of history beneath the golden roof?