A Post-War Family Home Kept as a Museum
The Showa Era Life Museum (Former Koizumi Family Residence Main House) (昭和のくらし博物館（旧小泉家住宅主屋）) is a modest family house built with a Government Housing Loan Corporation loan of 1951 in Minamikugahara, Ota City, Tokyo, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 25, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 39 square metres; registration number 13-0131.
A Loan-Built House of Eighteen Tsubo
The Showa Era Life Museum is a two-storey timber house with a pantiled roof, designed by its own owner and built with a loan from the Government Housing Loan Corporation, a scheme begun in 1950 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Within the loan limit of 18 tsubo of floor space, it achieves a clear plan and form with much ingenuity.
According to the museum, the house was built in August 1951 and designed by the head of the family, Koizumi Takashi. The loans allowed between 9 and 18 tsubo, and the house used the full 18. It was altered in 1952, extended by about 9 tsubo in 1966 with another housing loan, and repaired in 1992. It is shown to visitors with its furniture and household goods.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes it as a fine example of a modest house of the post-war recovery, showing how homes were built with public loans at the time, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look at the clear plan fitted within 18 tsubo and the rooms kept with their Showa-era household goods (Agency for Cultural Affairs; the museum).
Visiting
According to the museum, it is open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed Monday to Thursday. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for school pupils, cash only. It is about an 8-minute walk from Kugahara Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line or Shimomaruko Station on the Tokyu Tamagawa Line.
Q&A
- When was the house built?
- In 1951 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- Its owner, Koizumi Takashi (the museum).
- Why is it 18 tsubo?
- That was the upper limit for the housing loan.
- When is it open?
- Fridays, weekends and public holidays, 10:00 to 17:00.
- When was the Showa Era Life Museum (Former Koizumi Family Residence Main House) registered?
- On June 25, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Showa Era Life Museum (Former Koizumi Family Residence Main House) (昭和のくらし博物館（旧小泉家住宅主屋）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-26-19 Minamikugahara, Ota City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/06/25 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 39 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Fri-Sun and holidays 10:00-17:00, adults 1,000 yen (museum) |
References
- Showa Era Life Museum (Former Koizumi Family Residence Main House) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002759
- About the Former Koizumi House (Showa Era Life Museum)
- https://www.showanokurashi.com/about/house/
- Showa Era Life Museum
- https://www.showanokurashi.com/
Last verified: 2026.10.23