Ryuunkaku was constructed in 1909 as a guesthouse for the Imperial family members and high-ranked government officers, who visited Niikappu Imperial Ranch constructed in Shizunai Town in southeastern Hokkaido in 1872 in order to breed horses for the Imperial family. It was originally named Ryounkaku, but was renamed Ryuunkaku in the Taisho period (1912-1926).

This stately house in Shinden-zukuri style (the style of the aristocrat residences in the Heian period) gives off a distinctive atmosphere in the tranquil meadowland. Apart from the cultural value of the building itself, there are a lot of precious cultural properties are preserved. Among them are the Chinese-style poem written Japanese ink by Ito Hirofumi and the picture painted on a folding screen by Kano Tanyu.

The interior of the building is open to the public only during the cherry blossom festival period. From the second floor, a vast expanse of the ranch can be viewed. You may sense the passion for the Westernization n the Meiji period.