An Outbuilding on a Sloping Site
The Tozanso Storage Shed (東山荘物置) is an outbuilding that recalls the upkeep of the villa of 1933 in Kasugacho, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building, partly reinforced concrete, with a tiled roof and a building area of 17 square metres; registration number 22-0229.
A Half-Sunk Store on the Slope
The storage shed of Tozanso is a hipped, tiled outbuilding of 1933 standing east-west to the south-west of the main building (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Its lower floor, half sunk into the slope of the site, is a single earth-floored store, while the upper floor is a matted room projecting on cantilevered beams to the north, clad in battened clapboard and entered from the west gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes that it shows how the villa was kept up.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the half-sunk lower floor and the clapboarded upper room projecting to the north (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by the Church of World Messianity (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to Toho no Hikari, an organisation affiliated with the church, a local preservation society holds open days and plans regular openings; check their announcements for dates. The seven buildings are introduced together on the Tozanso page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1933 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is downstairs?
- A half-sunk earth-floored store.
- What is upstairs?
- A matted room projecting north.
- Why does it matter?
- It shows how the villa was kept up.
- When was the Tozanso Storage Shed registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tozanso Storage Shed (東山荘物置) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1712-6 Kasugacho, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber and partly concrete, tiled roof, 17 m² |
| Owner | Church of World Messianity |
| Public Access | Opened on preservation society open days (Toho no Hikari) |
References
- Tozanso Storage Shed (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011144
- Moon-viewing at Tozanso, Atami, marking its first public opening (Toho no Hikari, in Japanese)
- https://tohonohikari.or.jp/topics/%E7%86%B1%E6%B5%B7-%E6%9D%B1%E5%B1%B1%E8%8D%98%E3%81%A7%E3%80%8C%E8%A6%B3%E6%9C%88%E4%BC%9A%E3%80%8D.php
Last verified: 2026.10.26
