Gora Kansuiro in Hakone – a ryokan built on the site of a villa from 1920 that belonged to an heir of Mitsubishi, where Emperor Shōwa and Empress Nagako spent the first night in history outside the Imperial Palace in 1955.
In 1955, the Imperial couple of Japan spent the first night in history outside the palace walls – not in another residence, but in a private villa at a ryokan in the mountains of Hakone. Gora Kansuiro began as a country house for one of the heirs to the Mitsubishi family – and later became a place where diplomats, Hollywood actors, and eventually the Emperor himself were taken.
The Mitsubishi Heir’s Dacha
The story begins in 1920, when Yasui Iwasaki — son of Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of the industrial conglomerate “Mitsubishi,” — built a private country residence in the mountain village of Gora, in the Hakone area. At that time, it was simply a dacha for one of the wealthiest families of pre-war Japan, designed in the Taisho period architecture – a combination of Shoin-zukuri and Sukiya-zukuri styles, the same principles used in traditional residences of nobility and tea houses.
From Villa to Ryokan
In 1949, already in post-war Japan, industrialist Niroku Suzuki bought the villa and transformed it into a luxury ryokan – Gora Kansuiro. The three historical buildings, Hanare, Shunjū-tei, and Isso-tei, together offer 14 rooms with tatami and sedzi, while the surrounding Kasei-en garden with a stream fed by a mountain spring still blooms with cherry blossoms in spring and hydrangeas in summer. Private hot springs appeared on the territory in 1952 – the bathing areas were supposedly named after a famous Japanese writer, and plaques with his handwritten names have been preserved to this day.
The Emperor’s First Night Outside the Palace
The pivotal moment in the ryokan’s history occurred in 1955: Emperor and Empress Shōwa (Hirohito and Nagako) stayed at Villa Kinkatei within Gora Kansuiro – marking their first night spent outside the Imperial Palace throughout their reign. Such a precedent simply hadn’t existed before. The event cemented the ryokan’s status as Hakone’s most prestigious address, essentially setting a trend for Japanese elites and foreign dignitaries to stay here over the following decades — including US Secretary of State Dean Rusk, American Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer, and Hollywood actors Clint Eastwood and Eric Fleming.
What Guests Say
Guests consistently highlight the atmosphere of an authentic pre-war estate—three separate historical buildings on a secluded property create a feeling of a private residence rather than a typical hotel, while the hot springs with direct water flow from the ground and the intimate garden are considered among the most tranquil in Hakone.
What’s Next
A similar story of transforming a pre-war private residence into a ryokan is told at Houshi—although its history spans not centuries, but thirteen years.
Prices, room availability, and service inclusions are subject to change – please check the latest information before your trip.
