Located in Yuda Onsen, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Matsudaya Hotel is a venerable Japanese inn founded in 1675 (Empo 3) and proudly bearing 350 years of history. During the turbulent late Edo period, this inn served as a clandestine meeting place for the loyalist samurai who would shape modern Japan — Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro (Kido Takayoshi), Ito Hirobumi, Saigo Takamori, Okubo Toshimichi, Sakamoto Ryoma of the Choshu, Satsuma, and Tosa domains, along with the court noble Sanjo Sanetomi — who gathered here to deliberate the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of imperial rule. The Ishin no Yu (Bath of the Restoration), a stone bathtub built in 1860 (Manen 1), remains in its original form to this day, allowing modern visitors to soak in the very same waters once enjoyed by these historic figures. Among Japanese ryokan, this confers historical value of the very highest rank. The inn also features in Shiba Ryotaro's celebrated travelogue Kaido o Yuku (Roads Less Traveled), cementing its status as a literary landmark. A traditional Edo-period strolling-style Japanese garden serves as the centerpiece of the property, surrounded by the sukiya-zukuri main building and a modern annex. Historical artifacts, including a fragment of a maple tree on which Takasugi Shinsaku carved the inscription 'Now is the time to serve our nation' in 1863 (Bunkyu 3), are carefully preserved. The waters are an alkaline simple hot spring drawn from the inn's own private source at 63.6 degrees Celsius, with an abundant flow of 2,000 tons per day. The water has a soft, skin-friendly quality and is effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, poor circulation, and fatigue recovery. The bathing facilities are remarkably varied — Kura no Yu (with its Ryoma no Yu and Oryo no Yu pools), Hanagashiwa no Yu and Byakko no Yu, Iwa no Yu, and the family baths Ishin no Yu and Akebono no Yu — each with its own distinct character. The hotel is generally reserved for overnight guests, and same-day bathing is not normally offered.