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, standing in the mountains of Tenei Village, boasts a history of over 1200 years, believed to have originated in the early Heian period during the reign of Emperors Tenji and Tenmu, or discovered by Kobo Daishi (Kukai). 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 where legends live on

This area is marked by numerous footprints of historical heroes.

• The legend of Yoshitsune and Benkei: At the end of the Heian period, there is a legend that Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his party, fleeing from his brother Yoritomo to Oshu Hiraizumi, healed their travel fatigue at this hot spring. The mountain ridges they must have gazed upon during their arduous mountain crossings still welcome travelers today, unchanged from that time.
• 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, Iwase, and Aizu. Many of the current thatched buildings inherit the styles of that era, quietly conveying the fervor of the times when samurai and merchants passed through.

■ 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). By placing oneself beneath it and soaking in the flowing hot spring, one feels as if they 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, cherished by heroes and protected by farmers. Why not embark on a journey to unravel a thousand years of history under the golden roof?