A Doorless Gate at the Head of the Approach
The Watanabe Family Residence Gate (渡部家住宅門) is a yakuimon gate of the late Edo period in Hachimantai, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 27, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber gate 4.7 metres wide with a sheet-iron roof and a flight of stone steps; registration number 05-0139.
The Front Gate South of the House
The Watanabe Family Residence Gate stands south of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A yakuimon carries its roof on a pair of main posts with a second pair set behind them; this one is a single bay, raised on foundation stones, 4.7 metres wide and covered by a gabled roof of sheet iron that was originally shingled with split wood.
It has no doors, so the gate always stands open, and board walls 2.8 metres long flank the front of the main posts (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes the gate, together with the stone steps of the approach, as part of the formal front of the residence, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is the oldest of the three registered structures, dated to the late Edo period.
What to Look For
Look for the way the approach steps and the doorless gate together make a single front to the residence (Agency for Cultural Affairs), and for the board walls set before the main posts on either side.
Visiting
It is the front gate of a private house, and no official information on entering the grounds was found.
Q&A
- When was the gate built?
- In the late Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of gate is it?
- A single-bay yakuimon raised on foundation stones, with no doors (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How big is the gate?
- It is 4.7 metres wide, with board walls 2.8 metres long on either side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the gate?
- South of the main house of the Watanabe Family Residence in Hachimantai, Kazuno City.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Gate registered?
- On March 27, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Watanabe Family Residence Gate (渡部家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 63 Ishidoriya, Hachimantai, Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/27 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, sheet-iron roof, 4.7 m wide, with stone steps |
| Owner | Private (per Kazuno City; not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Private house (no official visiting information) |
References
- Watanabe Family Residence Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005405
- List of Designated Cultural Properties (Kazuno City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kazuno.lg.jp/kanko_bunka_sports/bunkazai/2/3968.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19
