What Is the Obara Family Residence Front Gate?
The Obara Family Residence Front Gate (小原家住宅表門, Obara-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a tiled timber gate on the southern edge of the Obara estate in Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, built in the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 June 2017. It is 2.7 meters wide, with a Sodobei wall on each side and a Kugurido wicket door on the west.
The Obara Front Gate stands just east of the former nagayamon and, with it, closes the southern side of the grounds. It is the gate that forms the formal entrance of the Obara Family Residence today. Its lot number, 55-3 Gotanbatake, Nanjo, differs from that of the main house and the other buildings at 54 Nanjo.
A One-Bay Yakuimon
The Obara Family Residence Front Gate is a single-bay Yakuimon. In this type of gate the doors hang from a pair of main posts, a second pair of posts stands behind them, and a gabled roof spans both, with its ridge set back behind the main posts. Single-bay means there is just one opening between the posts.
The main posts and the Kabuki crossbeam above them are heavy, massive timbers. Four beams are laid across to carry the purlins that hold up the roof. It is this weight of timber that the Agency for Cultural Affairs mentions first in its description.
A Swelling Roof and Family-Crest Tiles
The roof of the Obara Front Gate is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable with a slight upward swell, known as mukuri. It is the opposite of the upswept curve seen on temple roofs, and it gives the gate a softer, more settled look than a straight roofline would.
The roof tiles carry the Obara family crest. When the Bōnichi Shimbun reported on the registration, it singled out the front gate and its crested tiles as a dignified entrance.
The Obara Family Residence Front Gate was registered as number 12-0224 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency credits it with keeping the look of the estate in earlier times and lending dignity to its front.
Visiting
The Obara Family Residence Front Gate belongs to a private home, and visitors cannot pass through it.
Standing on the southern edge of the lot, the gate faces the outside of the estate, and its curved roof and crested tiles are the parts easiest to make out from beyond the gate. View it from the road only, and do not step through the gate or onto the private grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Obara Family Residence Front Gate built?
- In the mid-Meiji period, between 1883 and 1897.
- What type of gate is the Obara Family Residence Front Gate?
- A single-bay yakuimon, 2.7 meters wide, with side walls on both sides and a wicket door on the west.
- What should I look for at the Obara Family Residence Front Gate?
- The massive main posts and crossbeam, the four beams that carry the purlins, the gently swelling gabled roof, and the roof tiles bearing the family crest.
- When did the Obara Family Residence Front Gate become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 28 June 2017, as registration number 12-0224.
- Can visitors see the Obara Family Residence Front Gate?
- Visitors cannot go through the gate, which belongs to a private home. It stands on the southern edge of the estate, facing outward.
Basic Information
| Name | Obara Family Residence Front Gate (小原家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 55-3 Gotanbatake, Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 12-0224 |
| Year Designated | Registered 28 June 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, frontage 2.7 meters, with side walls on both sides and a wicket door on the west |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Obara Family Residence Front Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011644
- Cultural Heritage Online: Obara Family Residence Front Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/294400
- Obara Family Residence: Main House, Detached Wing, Rice Storehouse, Document Storehouse, Former Nagayamon Gate, Front Gate (Tateyama City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.tateyama.chiba.jp/syougaigaku/page100122.html
- Registration certificate presented to the Obara Family Residence (Bonichi Shimbun, 22 November 2017, reproduced by the Awa Cultural Heritage Forum, Japanese)
- https://awa-ecom.jp/bunka-isan/7016/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
