Maruhan has acquired all shares of the Yamatoya Honten ryokan through its subsidiary, KITAI Resort, as of September 30.
On April 24, it also acquired all shares of Yamatoya Besso, meaning Maruhan, through its subsidiary, has acquired both the Yamatoya Honten and Yamatoya Besso, two historic inns. After the acquisition, current officers will continue in their roles, advancing the management of both companies.
Yamatoya Honten, established in 1868, originally engaged in the brokerage of paper mulberry, a raw material for Japanese washi paper. With the advent of the Meiji era and in an effort to expand their market nationwide, they established a wooden inn with four rooms on the north side of the Dogo Onsen main building to accommodate their clients. This lodging business eventually led to the construction of a four-story reinforced concrete Western-style building in 1926, with the Western building being named Yamatoya Honten and the wooden inn as Yamatoya branch. Though temporarily requisitioned as a naval recuperation facility, it resumed business in 1946. As group travel became more central, the inn expanded to accommodate this and became a large-scale ryokan, undergoing reconstruction in 1996. The ryokan now has 90 guest rooms.
