Hatagoya

• Japanese: 旅籠 (hatago), 旅籠屋 (hatagoya)

Hatago or hatagoya were a typical form of inn for travelers in Edo period Japan, typically located in a post-station or port town.

One typical style of hatagoya had four guest rooms, each eight tatami, or 13 sq meters, in size. Each room would serve as lodging for up to four people.

In the post-town of Odawara-juku, in the 19th century, ten travelers stayed at a given inn on average each night, with each traveler paying 220 mon per night. This would include meals. Extrapolating from this figure, we can estimate that the innkeeper made around 2,200 mon per day, or 800,000 mon (= 123 ryô) per year in total revenues. After accounting for taxes and operating costs, the inn can be estimated to have made about 49 ryô or 39 koku a year.

Hatagoya typically also provided travelers the opportunity for a bath, or to hire courtesans, among other amenities. Many were explicitly identified as meshimori hatagoya (where meshimori onna, serving girls who doubled as prostitutes, were available) or as hira hatagoya (where they were not).

References

• Plaques on-site at Odawara-juku nariwai kôryûkan, Odawara.