According to tradition, the hot spring was discovered by Hōnen when he visited Mutsu Province c. 1190 during the Heian period.

Asamushi Onsen as it was at the start of the Meiji period was recorded in a compilation of topographies published by the government in 1876.

Utōmai is a sheer precipice overlooking the sea, and at the time, people passed through it by going alongside the cliff face until they reached the tip of the peninsula, and then crossing a bridge over the rocks.

At the time, he was being transported in a palanquin with his attendants on horseback, but it was deemed too dangerous for them to pass through the steep roads of Utōmai.

Tunnels were later built and expanded, making it an important route connecting the east and west of Aomori Prefecture.

[9][7] In 1891, the Tōhoku Main Line was fully operational connecting Tokyo and Aomori by train, and Asamushi Station was opened.

[6][13] The establishment of the station not only improved transportation links, but also served as a place for passengers travelling between Honshu and Hokkaido to rest their bodies during their long journey, or as a place to stay if bad weather conditions made it impossible to safely pass through the Tsugaru Strait.

[14] The area became more known outside of Aomori Prefecture after being used as a resting place for the survivors of the Hakkōda Mountains incident in 1902, and for soldiers injured during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.

[8] At the start of the Taishō period (1912-1926), Asamushi Onsen greatly developed due to the increase in visitors the war economy brought.

[18] Shikō Munakata, born in the city of Aomori, left for Tokyo in 1924 to achieve his dream of becoming a painter.

[22] The recipe for the sweet was learned by a confectionary shop at Asamushi Onsen from another confectioner in Ajigasawa of the Tsugaru Region.

[23] As a result, old-fashioned hot spring inns lined the mountains, while large hotels were built along the seaside.

[27] The local Michinoku Bank and operators of the inns are working together to revive the hot spring area.

There are hiking trails on the mountains behind the onsen town, with an overlook providing views of Mutsu Bay and the island of Yunoshima.

[29] Hadakajima is an uninhabited island 1.7 km away from the onsen town on the eastern tip of a cape known as Shiranezaki.