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Hanamurasaki

Kagaonsen / 加賀温泉
In the mountains near Kanazawa, the small hot spring town of Yamanaka Onsen runs alongside the drama
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THE STORY

In the mountains near Kanazawa, the small hot spring town of Yamanaka Onsen runs alongside the dramatic riverside scenery of Kakusenkei Gorge. The spring waters are regarded as some of the best in Japan and have attracted bathers for 1300 years. The town has also been a respected source of woodturning and lacquerware for centuries.

In a place of such rich history, the hand of tradition lies heavily on each new generation. But like nature, culture is everchanging. At Hanamurasaki, the youthful sixth-generation owner Kohei Yamada and his wife Manami are seeking to preserve the spirit of traditional Yamanaka and Japanese culture in a new evolution that speaks to modern sensibilities.

Their 25-room riverside property has been completely transformed in collaboration with famed designer Shinichiro Ogata, drawing on influences from tea ceremony, traditional Japanese architectural techniques, and time-honored crafts to create a chic, contemporary ryokan that is both unmistakably unique and quintessentially Japanese.

Throughout, hundreds of local artworks are on display, from up-and-coming contemporary artists and artisans from the Yamadas’ social circle to Kutani ware antiques and pieces from Living National Treasures. The inhouse gallery hosts regularly changing exhibits and art-focused events, for a dynamic experience of regional art.

Hanamurasaki’s exquisitely presented kaiseki cuisine has a similar regional focus, with the seasonal bounty of Japan’s Hokuriku region served in locally made lacquerware and vessel. In winter, premium Kano snow crab from the frigid waters of the Sea of Japan is a particular delight. Meanwhile, the Japanese-style afternoon tea, with wagashi sweets and vegetable sushi accompanying a choice of 12 Japanese teas served by expert brewers, draws fans from near and far.

A stay at Hanamurasaki is an experience of Japan’s tradition in evolution.

ROOMS

  • ROOM Universal Suite This spacious Euro-Japanese blend for up to 4 people has wooden floors for barrier-free access.…
  • ROOM Modern Suite The “Designer” suites were completely rethought in a 2023 renovation. Designed in collaboration…
  • ROOM Art Suite A spacious suite, Art Suite has an open-air bath, a private sauna, two comfy Simmon beds, a sid…
  • ROOM Modern Junior Suite The 2 junior suites are also part of the Shinichiro Ogata Designer series, whose pleasantly tex…
  • ROOM Art Junior Suite A spacious suite, Art Junior Suite has an open-air bath, two comfy Simmon beds, and a living ro…
  • ROOM Japanese Standard Room These tatami rooms feature traditional Japanese architecture and design, including a tokonoma a…
    ROOM Universal Suite This spacious Euro-Japanese blend for up to 4 people has wooden floors for barrier-free access. In the plush living room, the touchably soft knit of the sofa competes with the soothing warmth of the fireplace for most soporific feature, though once the washi screen window shades are open, it’s hard to tear your eyes from views of the Kurotani Bridge arching gracefully across the gorge. The veranda has both a private sauna and open-air hot spring bath. In one room, the bath is seemingly carved from a single massive stone, with years of mineral deposits from spring leaving a surrealist painting of polychrome steaks down the side. In the other, it’s a traditional hinoki cedar tub, with raised headrest serving as an anchor to let your body float free in the healing warmth.
    ROOM Modern Suite The “Designer” suites were completely rethought in a 2023 renovation. Designed in collaboration with Shinichiro Ogata, they take their inspiration from traditional teahouse architecture, with pleasantly textured mortar floors and walls and wabi-sabi minimalist décor. The Designer Comfort Suite is the largest room in the ryokan and sleeps 4. The living area is dominated by a sunken lacquerware table by artist Akihiko Sugita, which transforms into a traditional heated kotatsu in winter. Meanwhile, the private veranda offers more lounge space, as does an adjacent room that can serve as an additional bedroom. The open-air bath has two hot spring tubs in a mirrored arrangement, although one can be alternatively be used as a cold-plunge pool for the private sauna.

    ** There are several steps in this room type, and the room has a dark light setting.
    ROOM Art Suite A spacious suite, Art Suite has an open-air bath, a private sauna, two comfy Simmon beds, a side room suitable for group travel, and a living room overlooking the Kakusenkei Gor Gorges, which offers a luxurious wellness experience. The suite is also adorned with works from artists based in Ishikawa Prefecture. Notably, it features the main art piece by glass artist Rui Sasaki, who was selected for the prestigious Rakow Commission and is active domestically and internationally. The suite also includes works by lacquer artist Kohei Ukai, a finalist for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize.

    ** In-room dining is unavailable for Art Suite.
    ** Please note that children under 10 are not allowed to stay in Art Suite.
    ROOM Modern Junior Suite The 2 junior suites are also part of the Shinichiro Ogata Designer series, whose pleasantly textured mortar floors and wabi-sabi minimalism were inspired by traditional teahouse architecture. The living area is dominated by a sunken lacquerware table by artist Akihiko Sugita, which transforms into a traditional heated kotatsu in winter. Sugita lovingly preserves the texture of the wood grain, and guests will find themselves absentmindedly stroking the surface just for the tactile pleasure. The private veranda has an open-air hot spring bath made of Ishikawa’s green-speckled Takigahara stone, shielded from view by sliding screens of wooden slats. Copper sinks preserved from the original building offer a touch of burnished cool.

    ** There are several steps in this room type, and the room has a dark light setting.
    ROOM Art Junior Suite A spacious suite, Art Junior Suite has an open-air bath, two comfy Simmon beds, and a living room overlooking the Kakusenkei Gor Gorges, which offers a luxurious wellness experience. The suite is also adorned with works from artists based in Ishikawa Prefecture. Notably, it features the main art piece by glass artist Rui Sasaki, who was selected for the prestigious Rakow Commission and is active domestically and internationally. The suite also includes works by lacquer artist Kohei Ukai, a finalist for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize.

    ** In-room dining is unavailable for Art Suite.
    ** Please note that children under 10 are not allowed to stay in Art Suite.
    ROOM Japanese Standard Room These tatami rooms feature traditional Japanese architecture and design, including a tokonoma alcove for displaying works of art and a shoji-screened windowside seating area where guests can sip a cup of Hanamurasaki’s original tea and watch the waters of the Daishoji River flow by. In every season, the colors of the natural vista change, with winter’s snow-clad trees no less dramatic than spring’s pale pink cherry petals. These rooms sleep up to 5 on futons and offer the option of in-room dining. The colorfully tiled bath is not fed by the hot spring but has the retro charm of an old-school sento.

FACILITIES &
SERVICES

  • Communal Bath The entrance to the 2F indoor bath recreates a traditional teahouse approach, with stone lanterns and twee bridges over faux rivers of smooth stones ushering guests into a warm wisteria mattress dressing room. Inside the baths, however, the burnt umber tiles and oval mirrors are pure midcentury modern. The main bath sprawls next to a picture window protected from passing eyes by a thick bamboo grove, while a second red marble pool in the shape of a flower is twinned by multicolored ceramic accent flowers on the wall.
  • Open-air View Bath The baths on the top floor offer lavish views of Kakusenkei Gorge, a natural panorama of vivid color that shifts with the seasons. Indoors, the traditional hinoki cedar bath offers a chance to warm your body before stepping out into the bracing open air. A few more steps and bathers can sink into a healing hot spring pool of multitextured stones, ringed by a rooftop garden and protected from the elements by a wooden gazebo. Particularly late at night, when the town is silent and only the occasional creak of swaying bamboo or lilting bird call interrupts the gentle susurrus of the spring, it is a place of deep serenity.
  • Dining ”Nihon” The main dining room is a paean to the versatility of Japanese washi paper. In the entrance hallway, a custom artwork made of thick Echizen washi depicts the phases of the moon. Lit from behind, it bathes diners in warm, orange light as they step into the space. To provide privacy, individual tables are shielded by web-like latticed screens of the same material. Meanwhile, a closer inspection of the elegant gold and silver chandelier and ombre wall mural reveals them to be made of mizuhiki, an ancient artform in which rice paper is twisted and starched into delicate cords. Auspicious mizuhiki knots adorn gifts for significant events like weddings, symbolizing an unbreakable union. Accented by other natural materials like light wood and stone, the washi-lamp lit dining room exudes a comforting warmth.
  • Private Dining Families and groups can opt for the quieter private dining room across from the main dining venue. The only decoration in the spartan room is twin paintings commissioned from a duo of contemporary muralists called HITOTZUKI and inspired by Hanamurasaki’s conceptual byword: sanshisuimei. That haiku-esque idiom, literally translating to “purple mountains, light shimmering on water,” means places of exceptional natural beauty. Fittingly, a picture window offers wide views of Kakusenkei Gorge, with the Daishoji River flowing ceaselessly by, while the 14-seat table is cut from a single piece of Japanese horse chestnut, a blonde wood with heathered undulations of color in the grain and an almost psychedelic sheen.
  • Cuisine Thanks to its location on the Sea of Japan, Ishikawa has a reputation for incredibly fresh and delicious seafood, in particular snow crab, sweet shrimp, amberjack, bream, and blackthroat seaperch. The prefecture is also known for its rice and tea, nourished on pure snow melt waters, as well as its umami-rich Noto wagyu and oyster. Hanamurasaki’s chef draws on all this abundance in crafting an authentic kaiseki cuisine that showcases the region’s rich produce, flexibly allowing a la carte or course service to accommodate most dietary restrictions. Seasonal flavors elicit powerful feelings of nostalgia while the dishes and presentations remain new and exciting, and the entire menu naturally lends itself to pairing with the region’s famed craft sakes. In fact, several different sake pairing courses are available depending on your particular taste or interest.
  • SABO the Tea Bar This tea salon is the venue for check in, as well as the ryokan’s popular afternoon tea. Inspired by tea’s history as a medicinal concoction, the space blends elements of an old-fashioned apothecary with Japanese tea ceremony minimalism, offering guests a highly curated experience of Japan’s most famous beverage. The twelve teas on offer are largely Ishikawa-grown, although regional powerhouses like Kyoto gyokuro and Shizuoka pan-fired tea also make an appearance, along with seasonal blends made with fruit, herbs and even seaweed. All are served with pharmaceutical precision by expert staff in white coats using one-of-a-kind tea utensils made by local artists. There are tea-related alcoholic drinks on offer too, like homemade sencha-infused gin or matcha beer, which has the staff whisking up a frothy matcha at your table and cinematically layering it over a local craft ale.
  • Library & Gallery This homey library space is open for guests to use at all hours and is furnished with a range of intriguing books on food, art, and local interest curated by the Yamadas. The staggard shelves of dark wood, inspired by Muromachi period tea house architecture, are artworks in themselves, but the large wall hanging by Kanazawa artist Akihiko Sugita is more eye-catching, with nucleating amoebas in black gradations demonstrating lacquer’s potential as a purely artistic medium. By day, reading at the antique chair is accompanied by the pleasant murmur of conversation and clitter-clack of tea utensils from the adjoining tea salon. (1/2)
  • Library & Gallery By night, only the faint burble of water endlessly flowing into the tsukubai stone basin can be heard.

    The gallery hosts monthly exhibits of contemporary art from local artists and artisans, with a particular focus on those from Ishikawa Prefecture. The exhibits are often launched with events like tea experiences and collaborations with guest chefs, where guests can not only meet and talk with the artist but also experience their work in context. The Yamadas draw from their connections in the arts to showcase creators they love, whose unique perspectives and innovative approaches are driving the evolution of traditional artforms. Expect to see singular works with a modern aesthetic that are nevertheless clearly born from the local milieu, where nearly every craft from silk dying to goldwork, wood turning to porcelain, has a centuries-old tradition. (2/2)
  • Arts Throughout the hotel, over 100 works of art are on display, some from the family collection and others commissioned for the ryokan. Museum-worthy works by Living National Treasures like ceramicist Yasokichi Tokuda III, who discovered a technique to make traditional Kutani ware glazes suffuse into starbursts of color, and local legend Ryozo Kawakita, whose skills in wood turning and lacquering have produced some of Japan’s finest tea utensils, unobtrusively wait for admirers in common areas. Meanwhile, the Yamadas have selected works from contemporary artists that stand on the shoulders of those greats to find new applications for treasured techniques and materials. (1/2)
  • Arts Artist Kohei Ukai, for example, coats the rough natural texture of wood with lacquer to create organic sculptures that begged to be touched, while a custom porcelain incense burner from Kinzangama Kiln uses kinsai techniques developed over generations to apply the concentric gold circles of Hanamurasaki’s new logo. For an observant guest, a stay at Hanamurasaki is a fascinating exercise in finding the throughline in centuries of local art, neatly collapsing the sometimes-arbitrary siloing of traditional and modern, utensil and decoration. (2/2)

Map &
Transportation

Closest Train Station Kaga Onsen Station
ROUTE DETAILS
Closest Bus Station Yamanaka Onsen Bus Terminal
ROUTE DETAILS
Free pick-up service YES
Complimentary shuttle service is available from Kaga Onsen Station between 12:00 and 18:00. Advance reservation is required.
Key Gate Way Int'l Airport and Train (Shinkansen) Station
Route details

Ryokan Data

Area Kagaonsen / 加賀温泉
Name of Ryokan Hanamurasaki / 花紫
Address 1-Ho17-1 Higashi-machi Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa 922-0114
〒 922-0114 石川県加賀市山中温泉東町1丁目ホ17-1
Total Number of Rooms 25 rooms
Check-in Time 14:00
Check-Out Time 11:00
Credit Card Yes

Meals

Dinner Start Time 18:00 - 19:00
Breakfast Start Time 7:30 - 9:00
In Room Dining Available No
Bar
Special Dietary Arrangements Yes
Vegan Friendly No
Western Breakfast Available Yes / Room Service : 0700 - 0000

Other Facilities & Services

Communal Bath Yes
Family Bath No
Private indoor bath in room Yes
Private open-air bath in the room Yes

Room Rates

ROOM RATES
X
Room Type Number of guest per room (JPY)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Universal Suite - 99,000 81,000 71,500 - -
Modern Suite - 99,000 81,000 71,500 - -
Art Suite - 114,000 91,000 79,000 - -
Modern Junior Suite - 81,500 - - - -
Art Junior Suite - 87,000 - - - -
Japanese Standard Room - 59,700 51,000 49,000 - -
Note:
No-smoking room: Yes
Barrier Free: Yes

WD (Weekdays) : Regular Weekdays.
HD (Holidays) ：Previous night of Japanese Public Holidays and Saturdays.

Ryokan rate includes one night accommodation, full course dinner, breakfast, service charge and tax.
Please note that the rate will change depending on number of guests and dates. Please contact us for the further details.

Please contact us for more information about the rates.

- The mentioned rates and service are available only for LRC Members who book through LRC's website.
- The rates are subject to change without any prior notice.
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