A Tea House with a Farmhouse Hearth Room
The Tozanso Tea House (東山荘茶室) is a guest house with a farmhouse-style hearth room of 1940, extended around 1975 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 single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 83 square metres; registration number 22-0227.
A Farmhouse Look in the Hearth Room
The tea house of Tozanso stands north-south a little above the main building to the west, with a veranda along the reception room on its east side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Like the detached wing, it uses posts of many kinds of log. Its main room, the Oro-no-ma or large-hearth room, shows roughly worked beams and a ceiling of close-set bamboo to look like a farmhouse, and has large decorative alcoves. With a six-mat room and a bath as well, it served for entertaining guests (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the large-hearth room with its rough beams and bamboo ceiling (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 1940, extended around 1975.
- What is the main room called?
- The Oro-no-ma, the large-hearth room.
- What does it look like?
- Like a farmhouse, with rough beams.
- What was it used for?
- Entertaining guests.
- When was the Tozanso Tea House registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tozanso Tea House (東山荘茶室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1712-3 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 | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 83 m² |
| Owner | Church of World Messianity |
| Public Access | Opened on preservation society open days (Toho no Hikari) |
References
- Tozanso Tea House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011142
- 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
