Katakurakan

From the Meiji to Taisho Periods, the Katakura conglomerate, who built wealth with the silk industry in the Suwa Region, constructed the social space for the local people in the early Showa Period. It is made up of the hall and a hot spring wing. The architecture resembles Gothic Revival or Romantic Revival which were developed in the United States and other countries from around 1900 to 1930s. It was designed by Matsunosuke Moriyama who graduated from the Architecture Department of Tokyo Teikoku University (current Tokyo University). The fine windows, gabled roof, relieves and other details were adopted from patterns in different countries.

The huge bathtub, which could hold a hundred people, was called “Sennin Buro (A bathroom for a thousand)” and the design is the same for the male and female rooms. The rare style was built for people to stand in the tub of 1.1m deep. The bottom is laid with round pebbles which press the souls for comfortable stimulation. The romantic interior has carvings on the walls and stained glasses.

The interior had been closed off to the public, but is now open. There is a guided tour around each room with the valued decorations and furniture preserved from the old days.