The Beginning of a Folktale Inn
“Then, coming from the hallway, we heard the sound ton ton ton ton as if a child was hopping around, and even a sweet little song floated through the air…
(…)
When they dug where they’d been told, a huge golden jar emerged, brimming with large gold coins. The jar must have been buried for so long that it became a small, poppy-headed zashiki-warashi to call out, ‘Set me free.’”
(Excerpt from Sarugakyo Onsen Storytelling Guide: Otome-baa’s Prayer by Yasuko Mochitani)
This passage is from the local folktale “Hachiman-sama: Zashiki-Warashi’s House,” handed down at Warashi no Yado Shojuen, a hot spring inn in Sarugakyo Onsen. Passing through a stately gate framed by towering boulders, guests are greeted at the entrance by a splendid Japanese garden and crystal-clear water drawn from the mountains. At first glance, it may seem like an ordinary ryokan; yet visitors flock here in hopes of encountering a zashiki-warashi, a legendary spirit child said to appear in certain homes.
From Mulberry Fields to a Hot Spring Inn
“This entire area used to be mulberry fields. In the past, my family was engaged in sericulture, like many others in Gunma, which was once a major center for the textile industry—think of the Tomioka Silk Mill. After World War II, as the textile business declined, my parents decided to transform our property into a hot spring inn. The main building was relocated from an 80-year-old farmhouse used for silkworm raising, and my father built the imposing stone gateway using leftover rock from a construction site.”
So explains second-generation owner Mr. Hideki Nametsu. But when did the inn come to be known as a “Warashi Lodge”?
“About 20 years ago, Ms. Yasuko Mochitani, who gathered local folktales and shared them as a storyteller at Sarugakyo Hotel, told us, ‘There’s a zashiki-warashi legend associated with Shojuen.’ After that, guests began reporting sightings. Gradually, word spread that our inn was a place where a zashiki-warashi appears.”
Where Might You Meet One?
The spirit is said to appear in various locations—particularly in the guest rooms Yuugao, Tsubaki no Ma, Ukifune no Ma, and the open-air bath.
“I suspect the path from the main gate to our main building acts as a ‘spirit path.’ Guests staying in Yuugao often report hearing footsteps from the ceiling or voices from the adjacent room—even though that room is empty, and we don’t actually have a second floor. We’ve also had guests say they felt someone touch them while in the private open-air bath.”
In fact, some people reserve their stay specifically in Yuugao, hoping to encounter the zashiki-warashi.
The Zashiki-Warashi as Guardian Spirit
Throughout the Tohoku region, there are many folktales about zashiki-warashi (sometimes called “zashiki-douji”). These spirits are often said to be the souls of children who died young due to poverty, appearing as playful yet protective presences. Legends hold that a house with a zashiki-warashi prospers, but if the spirit leaves, the house declines. Out of reverence, some families even prepare offerings of food for them.
Guest notebooks here are filled with accounts of these experiences—some people do claim to see or hear the spirit, while others leave happily even if they do not.
“We hope our guests enjoy the wide-open grounds of our inn at a leisurely pace. The zashiki-warashi isn’t frightening at all, so please feel free to come and see if you can meet it.”
Sarugakyo Onsen – Warashi no Yado Shojuen
[Minakami Town]
