Built as the hospital's front gate
The Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall) stands along the southern edge of the Tsurumai campus in Showa Ward, Nagoya, was built in 1914, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2007. Tsurumai Park lies on the far side of the road.
Aichi Prefectural Hospital had run out of room on its cramped site beside the Horikawa canal. The prefectural assembly voted to relocate in 1908, and the new ground north of Tsurumai Park was divided so that the hospital took the eastern half and the medical college the western half. Work finished in 1914, and this gate was set at the front of the hospital side. Staff of the Aichi Prefectural construction office, under Nishihara Kichijiro, produced the design.
The pillars are squared granite posts about 3.2 meters tall, split into base, shaft and capital, with an arch tying the heads of the two central posts. The Former Aichi Prefectural Medical College Main Gate and Outer Wall immediately to the west is almost identical, so two separate institutions received the same entrance form.
The hospital was renamed under Aichi Medical University, then under Nagoya Medical University, and in 1939 came under the medical faculty of Nagoya Imperial University. Since the war it has been Nagoya University Hospital.
A design still being quoted
The Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall) was entered on the register on 2 October 2007 and gazetted on 22 October, under register number 23-0247. The criterion is that the structure sets a standard in design.
One line in the Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary separates this gate from the other two. The design of its pillars has been quoted in the columns of a newly built hospital ward. A gate post from 1914 is being repeated inside twenty-first century hospital architecture. The old gate has not moved and the hospital behind it has been rebuilt more than once, and the column is what links them.
A Registered Tangible Cultural Property is protected while remaining in use. This gate is not fenced off as a monument. People walk through it to a hospital appointment every day.
The wall was laid as Taisho-era brickwork and resurfaced in 1930 in scratch tile and terracotta. Further repairs followed in 1999.
Comparing the columns
The useful thing to do here is to fix one gate post in your mind, then look past it into the grounds. The granite post is read in three parts: a base that receives it, a shaft that carries it, a capital that closes it. The edges are sharp and the form leans on no ornament. That same skeleton reappears, translated into concrete and glass, in the columns of the ward building.
The wall reads differently under the hand. Pilasters stand at regular intervals with panels stretched between them. Terracotta blocks sit at the corners of each pilaster, repeating geometric shapes, and the panels are faced in scratch tile scored with vertical grooves. The taste of the prefectural construction office in the early Showa years comes through without mediation.
Three gates run west to east along the south road, and this one occupies the middle position. Its western neighbour repeats the design almost exactly. The service gate to the east carries a far longer run of wall.
For a head-on view, stand on the Tsurumai Park pavement. From one spot the high ward block stacks up directly behind the gate.
Visiting
The Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall) faces a public road and can be seen from the pavement at any hour, free and without booking. The land beyond the gate belongs to a working hospital, so viewing is from outside.
Photography from the pavement is unrestricted. Inside the boundary, avoid images that include patients or staff. Press and commercial shoots go through Nagoya University's media office.
The nearest stations are Tsurumai on the JR Chuo Main Line and Tsurumai on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Tsurumai Line, both 5 minutes on foot. There is no visitor parking.
Allow about 15 minutes to walk all three gates from the western end. Outpatient hours bring heavy foot traffic through the entrance, so early morning or late afternoon gives a calmer view.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall)
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I visit the Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall), and is there a fee?
- Yes. It faces a public road and can be viewed from the pavement at any hour, free of charge and without booking. Beyond the gate is working hospital land, so this is an exterior visit.
- What is the nearest station to the Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall?
- Tsurumai station, served by the JR Chuo Main Line and by the Nagoya Municipal Subway Tsurumai Line, is a 5 minute walk. The Meidai Byoin exit puts you closest to the road along the north side of Tsurumai Park. There is no visitor parking.
- Which of the three gates is the Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall?
- The middle one. Three gates run west to east along the south road: the medical college main gate, this hospital main gate, and the hospital service gate.
- When was the Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall) listed?
- It was entered on the register on 2 October 2007 and gazetted on 22 October. The gate itself dates from 1914 and the wall was resurfaced in 1930.
- What should I look at first at the Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall?
- The granite pillars. Their base, shaft and capital design has been quoted in the columns of a newly built hospital ward, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Fix the gate post in your mind, then look at the buildings behind it.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagoya University Hospital Gate and Outer Wall (Former Aichi Prefectural Aichi Hospital Main Gate and Outer Wall) |
|---|---|
| Location | 65 Tsurumaicho, Showa Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2007 |
| Quantity | 1 unit |
| Dimensions | Gate: 2 stone pillars, opening 4.2 meters wide / Wall: brick, 16 meters in total length |
| Owner | National University Corporation Nagoya University |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable at any time from the public road, free of charge |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006337
- Cultural Heritage Online, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/191060
- Bunkazai Navi Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Board of Education
- https://www.pref.aichi.jp/kyoiku/bunka/bunkazainavi/yukei/kenzoubutu/kunitouroku/1265-1267.html
- Directions, Nagoya University
- https://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/contact/directions.html
- Access map, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine
- https://www.med.nagoya-u.ac.jp/medical_J/access/access/
Last verified: 2026.09.02