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ABOUT HAKUBAKAN
Hakubakan Co., Ltd. is a mountain resort company founded in 1890, with over 100 years of history.
We will continue to move forward step by step together with you, sharing the beauty and charm of Hakuba with as many people as possible.
Company Profile
| Company Name | Hakubakan Co., Ltd. |
| Address | 〒399-9301 6307 Hokujo, Hakuba Village, Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture |
| TEL | 0261-72-3122 |
| URL | hakubakan.com |
| Representative Director | MR. Teiichi MATSUZAWA |
| Year of Establishment | 1890 |
| Business Information | Mountain hut management, travel agency, general ski resorts (ropeway business, food and beverage business) |
| Facilities | Hakuba Sanso Lodge, Goryu Sanso Lodge, Oike Sanso Lodge, Yari Onsen Hut, Tsugaike Hutte, Kiretto Hut, Hakubajiri Campite, Sarukura Hut, Northern Alps Information Centre, Kanenonaruoka Ski Slope |
The History of Hakubakan and Mt. Hakuba
| 1890 | Construction of Yamaki Ryokan (the predecessor of Hakubakan), serving as a base for climbing |
| 1893 | The Land Survey Department of the Army Ministry General Staff Office established a first-order triangulation point on the summit of Mt. Hakuba. |
| 1894 | Walter Weston, an English missionary, summitted Mt. Hakuba from Renge Onsen. |
| 1898 | Reizo Kono, the principal of Omachi Elementary School, summitted Mt. Hakuba and introduced it to the public as a treasure house of alpine plants. |
| 1900 | Teiitsu Matsuzawa summitted Mt. Hakuba for the first time at the age of 11. |
| 1902 | Dr. Naomasa Yamasaki summitted Mt. Hakuba and published his glacial theory. |
| 1905 | Teiitsu Matsuzawa obtained the right to use the rock shelter of the Army Ministry on the summit of Mt. Hakuba. |
| 1906 | The rock shelter was renovated and named “Chojo Koya”, which means “summit hut” (the predecessor of Hakuba Sanso Lodge, regareded as the first mountain hut in Japan). |
| 1908 | Construction of Hakubajiri Hut (a hut built on a large rock). |
| 1909 | Nagano Obayashi District Office of the Forestry Bureau, prohibited the collection of alpine plants for any purpose other than academic research. |
| 1913 | Weston summitted Mt. Hakuba for the second time. He stayed at Yamaki Ryokan and the Chojo Koya. The Land Survey Department of the Army Ministry published a 1:50000 topographical map “Hakubadake”. |
| 1915 | Two new buildings were built at the summit of Mt. Hakuba and were called “Hakuba Chojo Koya”. Hakubakan General Partnership was established. |
| 1916 | Yamaki Ryokan was renamed to Hakubakan on the advice of a local lawyer, Yoshitaro Shimokawa. Hakubajiri Hut was expanded. Oito Line opened between Matsumoto and Omachi. |
| 1922 | Teiitsu Matsuzawa purchased two Fords and established Hokujo Motors Limited Partnership. Bus service started between Omachi and Hakuba. Hachimine Kiretto Hut and Hakuba Yari Onsen Hut were built. The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture designated the Hakuba Mountains Alpine Flora and Fauna Zone as a natural monument. |
| 1923 | Construction of Hakuba Oike Hut. |
| 1924 | Teiitsu Matsuzawa founded the Hokujo Mountain Guide Association and became the first president. |
| 1926 | September 1: Teiitsu Matsuzawa was killed in a car accident at the age of 37. Thereafter, Hakubakan was managed by Kin Matsuzawa and Tomio Shimokawa. |
| 1927 | Hakuba Chojo Koya was expanded. |
| 1928 | Hakuba Yari Onsen Hut was expanded. |
| 1930 | Construction of Minamimata Koya at Minamimata. Construction of Sarukura Ski Hut at Sarukura. Construction of Hakubakan Futamata Annex at Futamata. |
| 1931 | A new dining room opened at Hakuba Chojo Koya. Showa Medical School (Showa University School of Medicine) opened the Mt. Hakuba Clinic at the Hakuba Chojo Koya. |
| 1932 | Oito Line opened between Kamishiro and Moriue. Shinano Yotsuya Station (now Hakuba Station) opened. Construction of Karamatsu Koya on Mt. Karamatsu. |
| 1933 | Construction of Tsugaike Koya (the predecessor of Tsugaike Hutte) |
| 1934 | Construction of a new annex at the Hakuba Chojo Koya. It was a two-storey building with special Western-style bedrooms, a reading room, a darkroom, a medical room and a drying room, and was lit by gas lamps. It is called “Hakuba Sanso Lodge”, the first mountain hotel in Japan. |
| 1937 | Hakuba Sanso Lodge New Annex No.1 was expanded. |
| 1941 | An orientation table was completed on the summit of Mt. Hakuba. It was the model for Jiro Nitta’s “Kyouryokuden.” |
| 1945 | June: Tomio Shimokawa was killed in action during a battle in China at the age of 38. |
| 1948 | March: Tsunehisa Matsuzawa became the representative of Hakubakan. |
| 1951 | Construction of Goryu Hut (now Goryu Mountain Lodge). |
| 1956 | Kamishiro Village and Hokujo Village were merged to form Hakuba Village. |
| 1957 | Development of Oyanohara Ski Resort (now Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort) began. Oito Line was fully opened between Matsumoto and Itoigawa. |
| 1959 | August 13 (the Typhoon Night): a fire broke out in the drying room of Hakuba Sanso Lodge and almost the entire building was burned down. Only one building on the Toyama side remained. Everyone was safe. |
| 1961 | September 16: a building at Hakuba Sanso Lodge which was in rebuild process collapsed due to a typhoon. Helicopter cargo transport beginned (first time at a 3000m-class mountain hut) |
| 1962 | Construction of Hakuba Sanso Lodge New Annex No.1 was completed. |
| 1963 | Hakuba Village Mountaineering Accident Prevention Association was established. Construction of Hakuba Sanso Lodge New Annex No.2 was completed. |
| 1966 | The Teiitsu Matsuzawa Memorial Association erected a relief monument of Teiitsu Matsuzawa on the summit of Mt. Hakuba. |
| 1967 | July: the Hakuba Village Tourism Federation held the first Hakubadake Teiitsu Festival (mountain opening festival). |
| 1968 | The Japan Weather Association beginned mountain weather observations by establishing a permanent base at Hakuba Sanso Lodge. Shinano Yotsuya Station was renamed to Hakuba Station. |
| 1970 | Tsugaike Wetland was opened as Tsugaike Nature Park. |
| 1971 | Hakubakan Co., Ltd. was established. |
| 1973 | Prince Hiromiya summitted Mt. Hakuba. He stayed at Hakuba Sanso Lodge on August 21 and descended the mountain via Yari Onsen on August 22. |
| 1979 | Construction of Hakuba Sanso Lodge New Annex No.3 was completed. Japanese and Western special rooms were available. Large-scale lightning protection equipment was installed. |
| 1983 | Tsunehisa Matsuzawa was elected to be the prefectural assembly member. He served three terms until 1995. |
| 1987 | Yari Onsen Hut and Hokkein Onsen Sanso (Kuju Town, Oita Prefecture) established sister onsen ties. Hachimine Kiretto Hut was renewed. The building is made of Kiso cypress. |
| 1988 | Prince Hiromiya summitted Mt. Goryu via Mt. Karamatsu. On August 30, he stayed at Goryu Sanso Lodge. On August 31, he descended the mountain via Tomi-one. |
| 1989 | Teiichi Matsuzawa became the president. Tsunehisa Matsuzawa became the chairman. |
| 1990 | Solar and wind power generation system with a maximum electricity generation of 70kw was completed at Hakuba Sanso Lodge. |
| 1991 | Construction of a new restaurant building “Sky Plaza Hakuba” at Hakuba Sanso Lodge. It is made of laminated Japanese larch. |
| 1998 | February 2: Tsunehisa Matsuzawa passed away at the age of 73. |
| 1999 | A bust of Tsunehisa Matsuzawa was erected at Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort by local volunteers. |
| 2000 | Tsugaike Hutte is relocated and rebuilt due to the redevelopment of Tsugaike Nature Park. |
