A thatched gatehouse on the south side of the estate
The Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (旧秋場家住宅長屋門, Kyū Akiba-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is a gatehouse from the early Meiji period, roughly 1868 to 1882, in Torami, Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 28, 2017.
A Nagayamon is a long gatehouse with rooms built in on either side of the passage. This one closes off the south edge of the estate, 9 bays long and 3 bays deep, with the gateway at the centre. The roof is hipped and thatched (Kayabuki), though the thatch is at present under a temporary covering of sheet metal. The building area is 66 square metres.
No ridge tag survives, so the date is not certain; tool marks on the timbers point to the early Meiji period. The gate was renovated in 2013.
Why it was registered
The Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it lends dignity to the layout of the estate.
A gatehouse of this kind stood at the front of a substantial household and announced its standing. On the Akiba estate, home to a family that held fishing nets and later brewed sake, the gate is the south face of the property, with the main house behind it and the storehouse to the east.
What to look for
The roof frame is the thing to study. Its hip rafters and beams are chōna-bari: strongly curved timbers dressed with the chōna, a Japanese adze, so that the natural bend of the wood carries the load of the roof.
The ends of the beams project outward as Mochiokuri brackets that support an outer eaves beam. It is a way of carrying deep eaves, and standing in front of the gateway you can look up under the eaves to see how the brackets and the eaves beam meet.
One caution about the roof: the registration describes it as thatch, but with the temporary metal covering in place you will not see the thatch itself. Look instead at the outline of the big hipped roof and the long run of eaves along all 9 bays.
Visiting
The Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate is not open to the public on a regular basis, and as of October 2026 there was no published arrangement for seeing the rooms inside the gatehouse. It defines the south side of the estate and forms its frontage.
Everything inside the gate is private property, so do not walk through or enter without permission. Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Former Akiba Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built?
- No ridge tag survives, but tool marks on the timbers date it to the early Meiji period, roughly 1868 to 1882. It was renovated in 2013.
- When was the Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) on June 28, 2017, under registration number 12-0230.
- What kind of building is the Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- A hipped-roof gatehouse 9 bays long and 3 bays deep, with the gateway at the centre and rooms on both sides; its building area is 66 square metres.
- What should I look for at the Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- The roof frame of strongly curved, adze-dressed beams, and the beam ends projecting as brackets to carry the eaves.
- Is the roof of the Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate thatched?
- It is registered as a thatched hipped roof, but the thatch is currently under a temporary sheet-metal covering, so it cannot be seen.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Akiba Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (旧秋場家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1611 Ōmura, Torami, Ichinomiya-machi, Chōsei-gun, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/06/28 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, thatched roof (temporary sheet-metal covering); building area 66 square metres; 9 by 3 bays |
| Owner | 有限会社亜巳絵 (private limited company) |
| Public Access | Not open on a regular basis |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: 旧秋場家住宅長屋門
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011650
- Ichinomiya Town: 旧秋場家住宅長屋門
- https://www.town.ichinomiya.chiba.jp/kankou/kankouannai/bunkazai/yuukei/418.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
