An Occupation-Era Boiler House in a Zushi Garden
The Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room (須藤家住宅旧ボイラー室, Sudō-ke Jūtaku Kyū Boirā-shitsu) is a boiler house built around 1946 by GHQ, the Allied occupation headquarters, in Shinjuku, Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 17 February 2022.
It stands on the north side of the main house of the Sudo Family Residence. It is a single-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 8.8 square meters, and it was altered in 1952.
Why It Was Registered
The Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room carries registration number 14-0309 and was registered in the 101st round, together with the main house (14-0308), under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a record of postwar Showa history. A utility building put up by the occupation authorities survives in the grounds of a private house and has been registered alongside it. A shed of 8.8 square meters earns that status for the period it documents, not for its size or design.
Why GHQ built a boiler room on this particular property is not explained in the published records of the Agency or of Zushi City.
What to Look For
High Windows on Three Sides
The Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room is a single-storey gabled building with a sheet-metal roof, entered on the long side, its ridge running east to west. A doorway opens on the south, high windows are set in three walls, and the exterior is clad in weatherboarding.
Boiler West, Coal East
Inside, the boiler and a hot-water storage tank once stood at the west end and a coal store at the east. Plant and fuel were kept at opposite ends of the room. Today the building is used as a single-room storeroom.
Visiting
The Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room sits within the grounds of a private home, north of the main house, and Zushi City states that the property is not open to the public. The interior cannot be visited and the grounds cannot be entered. If you are nearby, keep to the public road and be considerate of the residents.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room?
- No. It stands in the grounds of a private home, and Zushi City states that the property is not open to the public.
- Who built the Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room, and when?
- GHQ, the Allied occupation headquarters, built it around 1946. It was altered in 1952.
- When was the Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room registered?
- On 17 February 2022, together with the main house, as number 14-0309.
- What was inside the Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room?
- A boiler and a hot-water storage tank at the west end and a coal store at the east. It is now used as a single-room storeroom.
- How big is the Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 8.8 square meters, gabled, with a doorway on the south, high windows on three sides and weatherboarded walls.
Basic Information
| Name | Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room (須藤家住宅旧ボイラー室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2132 Shinjuku 2-chome, Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2022/2/17 (Reiwa 4) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, sheet-metal roof, building area 8.8 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (within a private residence) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014151
- Cultural Heritage Online, Sudo Family Residence Former Boiler Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/545061
- Press release on the registration recommendation, 19 November 2021 (Zushi City Board of Education)
- https://www.city.zushi.kanagawa.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/006/290/1-20211122095658.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
