Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu

An Asuka style bathhouse

An Asuka style bathhouse
Constructed in the architectural style of the Asuka period, Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu stands as a picturesque symbol of Japan’s oldest hot spring, steeped in the history and legends of visits by Prince Shotoku and the Empress Saimei. Just like Dogo Onsen Honkan, Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu is a hot spring especially beneficial to the skin that flows straight from the source with no reheating or addition of water.
The building’s roof is topped with a cupola, a symbol of Dogo Onsen, and in the entrance courtyard is a group of camellia trees known as Tsubaki-no-Mori, recreating a scene from the time when Prince Shotoku visited Dogo Onsen. It is said that at that time he left a stone marker, Yuno-oka-no-hi, on which was inscribed "Around the hot spring of the god, camellia trees grow thick, their branches intertwined. The fruit of the camellias hang low above the water, hiding the fallen petals."
Inside are spacious large baths as well as open-air baths, which Dogo Onsen Honkan does not have. There are also two Special private baths that are replicas of the Yūshinden, the bath reserved solely for the Imperial Family at Dogo Onsen Honkan. Here guests can experience bathing in a yucho* bathing robe. Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu also has a spacious 100m² relaxation room and 5 private relaxation rooms where guests can enjoy Dogo Onsen hospitality with tea service.
* Also called “yukatabira,” yucho is believed to have been worn by nobility and is the origin of today’s yukata.

Bathing areas: Open-air baths and large rooms surrounded by murals

In the large baths, Tobe porcelain panel wall murals like those featured in the Dogo Onsen Honkan depict scenes from poems related to Dogo Onsen. The mural in the men’s bath features sacred Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest peak in Iyo, from a poem of Yamabe-no-Akahito, and the scene in the women’s bath is of Nikitatsu port on the Seto Inland Sea from the poem of Nukata-no-Ōkimi. These porcelain murals surround the baths on three sides, so you can take a bath enjoying the world of waka (traditional form of poetry) recreated in Tobe porcelain.

In the open-air baths, decorative panel murals made of Ehime Prefecture’s Himehinoki cypress depict magnificent mountain and ocean scenes. Lanterns made using the same type of Kikuma-gawara roof tiles used on Matsuyama Castle and the Kyoto Imperial Palace evoke the ancient world described by Man'yoshū poems.

Large Resting Hall: Spacious room of 100m²

This room is as spacious as the Kami-no-Yu relaxation room on the second floor of Dogo Onsen Honkan. Hanging shades made of Ōzu handcrafted washi paper (designated a national traditional handicraft) with metal foil gilding combine the delicate softness of washi paper with the opulent weightiness of gilding to create a unique impression. The resulting effect produced by these hanging shades and the room lighting is an atmosphere of grace and elegance, expressing the high praise Prince Shotoku gave to Dogo Onsen as a place of happiness.

The lampshades of Iyo bamboo wickerwork were made using a traditional Matsuyama handicraft called “yachara ami” that legend says was introduced to Dogo Onsen by Prince Shotoku when he visited.