About the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall
The Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (旧片野家住宅表門及び塀, Kyū Katano-ke Jūtaku Omotemon oyobi Hei) are the gate and boundary wall of a house in Hagurocho, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, built in the mid-Meiji era (1883 to 1897) and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 6, 2024. The timber gate, roofed in sheet metal, is 4.5 meters wide; the earthen wall runs for a total of 126 meters.
The front gate stands on the east side of the Katano estate, and the wall extends from either side of it to enclose the east, south and west of the grounds. Of the five registered entries on the estate, this is the only one that faces the street and can be seen at any time: the public face of the Former Katano Family Residence.
A Yakuimon Set Back from the Street
The Katano front gate is a single-bay Yakuimon, a roofed gate whose main posts sit toward the front with a second pair of posts behind, a type favored by samurai and well-to-do households. It is set back a little from the line of the street, so that the gate alone steps in from the run of the wall.
The eaves curve gently upward and are carried on a single layer of widely spaced rafters (Taruki). Both gable ends are decorated with carved Kaerumata (frog-leg struts) and Gegyo (gable pendants). Yokote City praises the gate's well-ordered proportions, the carefully cut scroll moldings at key points and the flowing carving of the struts and pendants.
From interviews, the city believes the gate dates from the Meiji era; the national database places it in the mid-Meiji years.
126 Meters of Wall
The wall that runs out from either side of the gate is an earthen wall capped with sheet metal. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its lower part is clad in horizontal weatherboards (Shitami-itabari) held by notched battens; Yokote City adds that the boards are painted black and topped by a band of white lime plaster (Shikkui). Black below, white above: the pattern carries the eye along its whole length.
The Katano wall bounds the east, south and west of the plot for 126 meters in all. The city reports that the wall already appears in an old photograph thought to date from the end of the Meiji era. Among the plank fences and hedges that line Hagurocho and Kami-uchimachi, its length stands out.
During Yokote's kamakura snow-hut festival, snow huts are built in front of this plank wall, which makes it part of the town's winter celebration as well as its streetscape.
Why the Gate and Wall Were Registered
The Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the gate and the long wall joined to it form the formal frontage of an old established household.
Yokote City likewise sees gate and wall together as the core of the area's historic scenery. In a samurai quarter burned in the Boshin War of 1868, they show the street the formal face of an estate rebuilt in the Meiji era.
Seeing the Gate and Wall
Because the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall face the street, you can see them from the road on any day, not just open days. The gate is on the east side of the estate; look at it straight on and at an angle to pick out the carved struts and pendants in the gables.
Standing on the street to the east, you can follow the wall as it stretches away on both sides of the gate. Take photographs from the public road and do not go through the gate except on open days. Open days and directions are on the Former Katano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When were the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall built?
- The national database dates them to the mid-Meiji era (1883 to 1897). The wall appears in an old photograph thought to be from the end of the Meiji era.
- How big are the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall?
- The gate is a timber yakuimon 4.5 meters wide, and the earthen wall has a total length of 126 meters.
- What should I look for at the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall?
- The carved struts and gable pendants on the gate and its gently curving eaves, and on the wall the contrast of black weatherboards below and white plaster above.
- Why are the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- They were registered on March 6, 2024, for their contribution to the historic landscape, as the formal frontage of an old established household.
- Can I see the Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall outside open days?
- Yes. They face the street and can be seen from the road at any time. You can go through the gate only on days when Yokote City opens the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (旧片野家住宅表門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 65 Hagurocho, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2024 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 entry (front gate and wall) |
| Dimensions | Gate 4.5 m wide (timber, sheet-metal roof); wall 126 m in total length (earthen) |
| Owner | Yokote City |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street at any time (grounds open only on days set by Yokote City) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Katano Family Residence Front Gate and Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014714
- Yokote City: About the Former Katano Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/shisei/1001176/1001456/1010279.html
- Yokote City: Historic Landscape Building Sheet No. 1, Former Katano Family Residence (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/005/045/000155531.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.29
