The Tōzansō Storehouse: A Modest Building That Cradled the Seeds of a World-Class Museum
Hidden among the hills of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, the small storehouse known as the Tōzansō Kura tells one of the most quietly fascinating stories in modern Japanese cultural history. Tucked into the southwest corner of a graceful prewar villa complex overlooking Sagami Bay, this seventeen-square-metre wooden building once safeguarded the very art collection that would later form the heart of the celebrated MOA Museum of Art. For visitors with an interest in architecture, religion, or the cultural currents that shaped twentieth-century Japan, the Tōzansō Storehouse offers an unexpectedly rich window into a remarkable era.
What Is the Tōzansō Storehouse?
The Tōzansō Storehouse (東山荘蔵, Tōzansō Kura) is a small two-storey timber and reinforced-concrete structure that stands within the grounds of Tōzansō, a historic villa complex in Atami's Kasuga district. Built in the early Shōwa period and oriented on an east–west axis to the southwest of the main villa hall, it features a hipped roof clad in pantiles, a half-basement ground floor with an earthen utility room, and a tatami-floored upper room with overhanging eaves on its northern side. The exterior is finished in a traditional sasarako-shitamiita board cladding, with a single entrance set in the western gable.
While its scale is modest, the storehouse is one of seven structures within the Tōzansō complex that were collectively designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan on August 1, 2016. Together with the main hall, annex, tea house, gatehouse, detached parlour, and original storage building, it forms an exceptionally well-preserved ensemble of early-Shōwa villa architecture.
A Layered History: Three Owners, Three Eras
The story of the Tōzansō complex unfolds across three distinct chapters of ownership, each leaving a mark on the property.
Phase One: The Banker's Retreat (1933)
Construction began around 1933, when Ishii Kengo, the third president of Daiichi Bank (one of Japan's leading financial institutions of the era), commissioned the renowned firm Shimizu-gumi (today's Shimizu Corporation) to build a seaside villa on a thousand-tsubo plot. The original ensemble included the front gate, main hall, detached parlour, and storage building, all set within a borrowed-scenery garden that drew the great panorama of Sagami Bay into the composition.
Phase Two: The Shipping Magnate's Hospitality (1940)
In 1939, the property passed to Yamashita Kamesaburō, the founding president of Yamashita Steamship (today's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines). The following year, again working with Shimizu-gumi, Yamashita added an annex and a tea house, transforming the villa into a venue for political and business gatherings as well as a guest house for distinguished visitors.
Phase Three: The Religious Founder and the Art Collection (1944–1948)
In October 1944, the property was acquired by Okada Mokichi, founder of the religious organisation Sekai Kyūsei Kyō (the Church of World Messianity). It was Okada who named the villa Tōzansō, after the local place name "Higashiyama" (later renamed Kasuga-chō). For the next four years, he divided his time between Tōzansō in the cooler months and his Hakone retreat in summer, using the villa as a place for writing, religious instruction, and meetings with followers. It was during this period that the storehouse came to play its pivotal role: housing the steadily growing art collection that Okada was assembling as part of his vision for an art museum dedicated to the cultivation of the human spirit through beauty.
Why Was It Designated a Cultural Property?
When the Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the seven Tōzansō buildings in 2016, it recognised them as a vivid record of the prewar Atami villa culture, when wealthy industrialists, financiers, and cultural figures built second homes along the Sagami coast. The storehouse was specifically singled out as a structure that "conveys the character of villa maintenance and management," preserving in its modest dimensions the everyday infrastructure that supported elite seaside living.
Beyond architectural merit, however, the storehouse holds significance for a different reason entirely. The art objects once stored within these walls became the foundational collection of the MOA Museum of Art, which today houses three National Treasures, sixty-seven Important Cultural Properties, and roughly 3,500 works in total. In this sense, the Tōzansō Kura can be regarded as a kind of architectural ancestor to one of Japan's most significant private art museums.
Highlights and Points of Interest
An Intimate Encounter with Vernacular Construction
What makes the storehouse compelling is precisely its modesty. Unlike the refined sukiya-style aesthetics of the main hall and tea house, the Kura embodies the practical, sturdy vocabulary of a working storage building. The half-basement ground floor takes intelligent advantage of the sloping site, while the upper tatami room with its overhanging northern eaves shows the careful attention to proportion and detail that distinguished even the utilitarian structures of high-quality villa estates.
The Birthplace of an Art Collection
Standing inside the Kura, visitors can imagine the small but priceless collection that Okada Mokichi began to assemble in earnest from 1944 onwards. From maki-e lacquerware to Rinpa-school paintings, Japanese ceramics, ukiyo-e, and later Chinese and Korean works, his collecting reflected an evolving aesthetic vision. Lighting fixtures rediscovered inside the storehouse have, in recent years, been carefully restored and converted to LED, preserving the atmosphere of the original interior.
The Surrounding Garden and Sagami Bay Vistas
The entire Tōzansō property is laid out to capture the magnificent view of Sagami Bay, with Hatsushima island visible in the foreground and Ōshima in the distance. Walking the grounds offers a sense of how prewar Japanese architects integrated buildings, gardens, and the natural landscape into a single artistic composition.
Visiting Tōzansō: Practical Information
The Tōzansō complex is owned by Sekai Kyūsei Kyō and is primarily used for the organisation's training and cultural activities. Public access is limited and is generally arranged through the Tōzansō Preservation Society, which began offering guided viewings from around 2021 and hosts seasonal events such as the autumn moon-viewing gathering. Visitors interested in seeing the storehouse and the wider complex should make arrangements in advance.
From JR Atami Station, the property is approximately a ten-minute taxi ride. The neighbouring Bruno Taut–designed Former Hyūga Family Atami Villa, an Important Cultural Property of Japan owned by Atami City, makes for a natural pairing, as preservation efforts envision eventual joint public access to both sites.
Surrounding Attractions
Atami is densely packed with cultural sights, and a visit to Tōzansō can easily be combined with several nearby destinations.
- MOA Museum of Art — The grand culmination of Okada Mokichi's collecting vision, set on a hilltop with panoramic views, housing National Treasures including Ogata Kōrin's "Red and White Plum Blossoms" folding screens.
- Former Hyūga Family Atami Villa — The only surviving architectural work in Japan by German modernist Bruno Taut, located immediately adjacent to Tōzansō.
- Kiunkaku — A celebrated former villa and ryokan now operated as a cultural facility by the city, showcasing the elegant lifestyle of prewar Atami.
- Atami Plum Garden — One of the earliest plum gardens to bloom in Japan each year, peaking from late January through early March.
- Kinomiya Shrine — Home to a sacred camphor tree believed to be over two thousand years old.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Tōzansō Storehouse freely as a tourist?
- No, the property is privately owned and access is restricted. Viewings are typically arranged through the Tōzansō Preservation Society for special tours and seasonal events. Please make arrangements well in advance.
- What is the connection between the storehouse and the MOA Museum of Art?
- The art collection that Okada Mokichi assembled while living at Tōzansō was kept in this storehouse. That collection eventually grew into the foundational holdings of the MOA Museum of Art, which opened in 1982 and houses three National Treasures.
- Why is such a small building considered a cultural property?
- The storehouse was designated as part of an ensemble of seven buildings that together represent prewar villa architecture in Atami. Even modest auxiliary structures contribute to understanding how elite seaside villas of the early Shōwa period actually functioned.
- Who designed the original villa complex?
- The first phase of construction in 1933 was carried out by Shimizu-gumi, the predecessor of today's Shimizu Corporation, which is one of Japan's oldest and most distinguished construction companies.
- Is there an admission fee, and what is the best season to visit?
- Fees vary depending on the type of guided event. Late autumn, when the moon-viewing gatherings are typically held, is a particularly atmospheric time to visit. Spring, when the cherry and plum blossoms in Atami are in bloom, is also highly recommended.
Basic Information
| Name | Tōzansō Kura (Tōzansō Storehouse) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan (Building) |
| Date of Registration | August 1, 2016 |
| Era | Early Shōwa (built circa 1933, with subsequent expansion attributed to the mid-1940s) |
| Structure | Two-storey timber construction with partial reinforced concrete; pantile-clad hipped roof |
| Building Area | Approximately 17 m² (1 building) |
| Location | 1712-3 Kasuga-chō, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture (within the Tōzansō complex) |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Sekai Kyūsei Kyō (Church of World Messianity) |
| Original Designer/Builder | Shimizu-gumi (now Shimizu Corporation) |
| Access | Approximately 10 minutes by taxi from JR Atami Station; advance arrangements required for visits |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online — Tōzansō Honkan (related entry)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/280476
- Atami Bruno Taut Federation — "Tōzansō" Overview
- https://atami-taut.com/1941/
- Sekai Kyūsei Kyō — Cultural Properties Page
- https://sekaikyuuseikyou.or.jp/culture
- YAMAGIWA Corporation — Tōzansō Lighting Restoration Case Study
- https://www.yamagiwa.co.jp/case/result/57202/
- Atami Keizai Shimbun — Special Lecture at Tōzansō
- https://atami.keizai.biz/headline/187/
- Tōhō no Hikari — Sacred Sites of the Earthly Paradise
- https://tohonohikari.or.jp/sacred
Last verified: 2026.05.06