A Complete History of Dogo Onsen: From the Hot Water of the Nihon Shoki to Botchan Yu

Tracing the history of Dogo Onsen, where imperial visits are recorded in the Nihon Shoki and the surviving fragments of the Iyo no Kuni Fudoki, alongside a chronological table from Prince Shotoku's visit in 596, the completion of the Honkan in 1894, and its Important Cultural Property designation in 1994, to the full reopening of the entire facility in 2024.

Chronology: Ancient Times to Present

Year	Event
596	Surviving fragments of the Iyo no Kuni Fudoki record that Prince Umayado (Prince Shotoku) visited the hot spring and left the Iyo Yuoka Stele
684	An entry for the 10th month of Tenmu 13 in the Nihon Shoki notes that "Iyo no Yu sank and ceased to flow." The hot spring is believed to have stopped due to the Hakuho earthquake
14th century	The Kono clan ruled the region and established Yuzuki Castle as their base
1635	The Matsudaira clan entered the Matsuyama domain, beginning domain management of the hot springs
1894	Dogo Onsen Honkan (Kami-no-Yu Honkan building) completed
April 1895	Natsume Soseki arrived in Matsuyama as an English teacher
1899	Yushinden and Tama-no-Yu building completed
1966	"Botchan Room" opened on the 3rd floor of the Honkan
December 27, 1994	Honkan designated as a National Important Cultural Property
July 1996	Sound of Tokidaiko drum selected among the "100 Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved"
April 2002	Yuzuki Castle ruins opened as Dogo Park
September 2017	Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka no Yu opened
January 15, 2019	Conservation and repair work on the Honkan began (while continuing operations)
July 11, 2024	Honkan reopened for full operations across the entire building

Dogo's Waters: One of Japan's Three Ancient Hot Springs

Dogo Onsen is one of Japan's Three Ancient Hot Springs alongside Arima Onsen (Hyogo) and Nanki Shirahama Onsen (Wakayama). The Nihon Shoki and surviving fragments of the Iyo no Kuni Fudoki record visits by many imperial figures, including Prince Shotoku, Emperor Jomei, Empress Saimei, and Emperor Tenji. Its name also appears in Book 1 of the Nara-period Manyoshu. The White Heron legend, in which an injured white heron was healed by the hot springs, remains in the name of the Honkan's tower "Shinrokaku."

An entry for the 10th month of Tenmu 13 (684) in the Nihon Shoki records that the hot springs of Iyo ceased to flow, which is thought to have been caused by the Hakuho earthquake. However, there are differing opinions on whether this "Iyo no Yu" refers to Dogo Onsen.

Ancient Riddle: Prince Shotoku and the Iyo Yuoka Stele

In 596, Prince Umayado (Prince Shotoku) stayed in Dogo for recuperation, according to surviving fragments of the Iyo no Kuni Fudoki.
The prince climbed the hill of Isaniwa, praised the hot springs and scenery, and left an inscription, which is known as the "Iyo Yuoka Stele."
The actual stele has not been found to this day, remaining the greatest mystery of Dogo Onsen. One theory holds that the Kono clan took it away when building Yuzuki Castle in the 14th century.
A stone monument describing the inscription stands in the green space on the south side of Tsubaki no Yu.

Medieval Times: Yuzuki Castle and Hot-Spring Town

In the 14th century, the Kono clan ruling Iyo Province governed the area and made Yuzuki Castle their base. The castle site opened as Dogo Park in 2002. In the Edo period, the Matsudaira clan, who entered Matsuyama domain in 1635, managed the hot springs and organized the hot-spring town.

Meiji Renovation: Dogo Onsen Honkan

In 1890 (Meiji 23), Isaniwa Yukiya became the first town mayor of Dogo Yunomachi. Renovating the aging hot spring was the town's pressing issue.
Isaniwa refused his salary as mayor and allocated it toward renovation costs. Total construction costs were 135,000 yen; despite opposition movements fearing municipal bankruptcy, he pushed the decision through.
The master builder was Sakamoto Matahachiro, a castle carpenter. In 1894 (Meiji 27), the Kami-no-Yu Honkan building was completed: a three-story structure with baths on the 1st floor and rest areas on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
In 1899 (Meiji 32), the Yushinden and Tama-no-Yu building, featuring a bath reserved exclusively for the Imperial Family, was completed.
At the rooftop tower Shinrokaku, the Tokidaiko drum is struck 3 times a day at 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00. In 1996, its sound was selected among the "100 Soundscapes of Japan to Be Preserved."

Literary Hot Spring: Shiki and Soseki

In April 1895 (Meiji 28), Natsume Soseki arrived in Matsuyama as an English teacher and frequently visited Dogo with Masaoka Shiki and Takahama Kyoshi.
Because Dogo Onsen appears in the novel "Botchan," the Honkan is also affectionately called "Botchan Yu."
The "Botchan Room" on the 3rd floor of the Honkan is said to have been used by Soseki with Shiki in October 1895, named in 1966 by Soseki's son-in-law, Matsuoka Yuzuru.

Conservation Repairs and the Present Day

On December 27, 1994 (Heisei 6), four buildings of the Honkan (Kami-no-Yu Honkan building, Yushinden / Tama-no-Yu building, South building, and Entrance building) were designated as National Important Cultural Properties.
On January 15, 2019 (Heisei 31), the Honkan entered conservation and repair work while maintaining bathing operations.
On July 11, 2024 (Reiwa 6), the entire facility resumed full operations.
In addition to the Honkan, public bathhouses include Tsubaki no Yu and Asuka no Yu, which opened in September 2017.

Building architecture is summarized in Architecture of Dogo Onsen Honkan, footsteps of Shiki and Soseki in Literary Hot Spring: Dogo Walked by Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki, Yuzuki Castle in Yuzuki Castle and the Kono Clan, and the White Heron legend and Tama no Ishi in White Heron Legend and Tama no Ishi.

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Last Verified: October 23, 2026