Registered Tangible Cultural Property
Charoku Honkan

Charoku Honkan was established between 1716 and 1736 by its founder, Chatani Rokuji, who operated a shipping and transport business.

The castle town of Miyazu prospered as a port of call for kitamaebune ships, and it is said that Charoku Honkan started as a lodging for sailors.

With the opening of the railroad in 1925, Miyazu greatly prospered as a sightseeing hub for Amanohashidate.

The number of tourists staying at Charoku Honkan increased and in 1930, the building was expanded to its current form.

The building is a three-story wooden structure with a sangawara-tiled roof. Its distinctive facade combines the original kirizuma-zukuri, hirairi section with an irimoya-zukuri, tsumairi extension from the Showa period (1926–1989).

It has a refined design, with features such as a lattice on the first floor and partitions resembling wakishoji (paper doors) in the railing of the upper floors to separate the rooms.

Charoku Honkan was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in April 2010.

Since many guests used the rooms for business purposes, the rooms are relatively small. However, all are traditional Japanese-style rooms, and the elegant interior, with its delicately crafted ranma transoms, tokonoma and tsukeshoin alcoves, and staggered chigaidana shelves, is a highlight.