YATSUSHIRO, KUMAMOTO PREF. šC The manager of Kinparo has expressed both resolve and concern after last week¡¯s major earthquake severely damaged the century-old?ryokan?Japanese-style inn in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Founded in the Hinagu hot spring resort in Yatsushiro in 1910, Kinparo, the main building and main gate of which are nationally registered tangible cultural properties, suffered extensive damage in the July 28 quake.
The damage is more serious than that caused by similarly powerful twin earthquakes that rocked the prefecture a decade ago, according to Misao Matsumoto, the 72-year-old manager.
While expressing her wish to rebuild the inn again, she said, ¡°I wonder how long it will take to reopen.¡± She added, ¡°I wonder if we can reopen.¡±
After the 2016 earthquakes, Kinparo took on about ?30 million in loans for repairs of cracked walls, and reopened about a year later. The family that owns the inn is still paying those debts.
¡°We¡¯ve worked every day to hear from guests that they were glad to come and would stay again,¡± Matsumoto said.
In the latest earthquake, Kinparo was hit by a violent shaking accompanied by a creaking noise and the sound of breaking glass doors. When Matsumoto managed to see off guests after confirming their safety, she found the entrance and main gate collapsed.
The main gate was the ¡°symbol of our ryokan,¡± Matsumoto said. ¡°I thought it was over.¡±
The corridors heaved and the plaster walls cracked again. Pieces of wood and glass scattered everywhere, and decorations in the great hall collapsed.
¡°The cracks in the walls are getting worse¡± following aftershocks, Matsumoto said. ¡°Even if we want to clean things up, we can¡¯t.¡±
Matsumoto said that Kinparo is her ¡°work and living space as well as the place where I raised children and took care of grandchildren.¡± The ryokan ¡°must be left¡± as a valuable cultural property, she added.
However, she is concerned that her first son, the fourth-generation head of Kinparo¡¯s operating company, will have to bear the debt for rebuilding. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to strongly urge¡± him to rebuild it, she said.
After the latest earthquake, Matsumoto received encouraging messages from former guests such as ¡°I will stay again.¡±
¡°If possible, I want to host guests again,¡± she said.
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