A Sukiya-Style Villa Overlooking Sagami Bay
The Yomeikan (陽明館, Yomeikan) is a two-storey timber villa built in 1939 in Momoyamacho, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which in 2019 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 157 square metres, with alterations in 1958. It belongs to the religious corporation Sekai Kyusei Kyo.
The Agency gives the address as 7-3 Momoyamacho and adjoining lots, while Atami City's list of cultural properties gives 9-22 Momoyamacho.
The Building
According to the Agency, it is a two-storey villa facing south on a site at the foot of the hills.
On both floors, two Japanese rooms are lined up on the south side of the eastern half, looking over Sagami Bay, with a broad veranda running along them for an open feel. Beside the entrance at the centre of the west side is a Western room with a raised tatami platform.
The timber members are slender, bark-edged boards and round logs are used freely, and the details are finished in elegant sukiya style.
What to Look For
The arrangement of Japanese rooms looking over Sagami Bay across the veranda is the heart of the villa, repeated on both floors to make the most of the sea view.
The slender members and the use of bark-edged timber and logs give the lightness typical of sukiya design, while the tatami platform in the Western room shows how early Showa villas moved between Japanese and Western living.
Visiting the Yomeikan
The Yomeikan belongs to a religious corporation, and no official information on visiting conditions could be found.
Questions about the cultural property can be sent to the Atami City board of education, 0557-86-6234.
Q&A
- When was the Yomeikan built?
- It was built in 1939 and altered in 1958.
- When was the Yomeikan registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 March 2019.
- What is special about the Yomeikan?
- Japanese rooms on both floors look over Sagami Bay across a broad veranda, finished in sukiya style.
- Who owns the Yomeikan?
- The religious corporation Sekai Kyusei Kyo.
- Can I visit the Yomeikan?
- No official visitor information was found; contact the Atami City board of education.
Basic Information
| Name | Yomeikan (陽明館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-3 Momoyamacho and adjoining lots, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/3/29 (Heisei 31) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 157 square metres |
| Owner | Sekai Kyusei Kyo (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | No official visitor information found |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Yomeikan (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012746
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yomeikan (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/457659
- Atami City: Cultural Properties in Atami (Japanese)
- https://www.city.atami.lg.jp/shisei/toukei/1001292/1001293.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28