The Gate in Front of the Main House
The Shibuya Family Residence Gate (澁谷家住宅門) is a roofed gate of the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) in Nakasatsuma, Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber gate 2.9 metres wide with a tiled roof and flanking walls, renovated between 1975 and 1984; registration number 12-0302.
A Roofed Gate Before the Main House
The Shibuya Family Residence Gate stands directly in front of the main house, facing east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a one-bay yakuimon, a roofed gate whose ridge sits on short posts above a pair of stacked beams, laid across a lintel that joins the two main posts; the roof is gabled and covered in pantiles. Walls roofed in pantiles and clad in battened weatherboards run off to the north and south.
According to the city plan, the gate is said to have been moved here from the Nakazawa district of Kamagaya, though when and why is not known. A house-planning chart of 1933 shows a gate of very similar position and form, and an aerial photograph of 1947 shows it in the same place, so the move is thought to have happened by the early Showa period at the latest.
A photograph of 1970 shows the walls continuing further on either side. Late in the period 1975 to 1984 the gate was repaired, its footing replaced with a concrete strip foundation and its roof renewed; the surviving walls are now braced with added posts and props (Kamagaya City conservation plan).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes that the gate and its walls, together with the fields spreading east of the homestead, shape the landscape of the village, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The city plan stresses that it survives in good condition as one of the main buildings of the homestead, alongside the main house and storehouse, and that it is clearly visible from outside the property.
What to Look For
Fields stretch from the gate out to the road, and the city plan treats the straight approach from the old Namamichi fish road (鮮魚街道) across the fields to the gate as the key view of the homestead. Stand where the great roof of the main house rises behind the gate and the layout of a headman's house becomes clear.
The stacked beams above the lintel are easiest to read looking up at the gate from the front.
Visiting
Under the city plan, the Shibuya Family Residence Gate is to be seen from outside only. The grounds are closed at present, but the gate and the fields before it can be seen from outside the property (Kamagaya City).
Q&A
- When was the Shibuya Family Residence Gate built?
- In the early Showa period, 1926 to 1945 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is said to have been moved from Nakazawa in Kamagaya.
- What kind of gate is the Shibuya Family Residence Gate?
- A one-bay yakuimon with a gabled pantile roof and flanking walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How wide is the Shibuya Family Residence Gate?
- 2.9 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I visit the Shibuya Family Residence Gate?
- Only from outside; it can be seen from beyond the property (Kamagaya City).
- When was the Shibuya Family Residence Gate registered?
- On August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shibuya Family Residence Gate (澁谷家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 77 Nakasatsuma 1-chome, Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/08/17 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 2.9 m wide, with flanking walls |
| Owner | Kamagaya City |
| Public Access | Exterior only (visible from outside the property) |
References
- Shibuya Family Residence Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013352
- Conservation and Use Plan for the Shibuya Family Residence, main volume (Kamagaya City, Japanese PDF)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/bunka/sibuyakehozonnintei.files/honbunsibuya.pdf
- Conservation and Use Plan, summary (Kamagaya City, Japanese PDF)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/bunka/sibuyakehozonnintei.files/gaiyousibuya.pdf
- Cultural Properties of Kamagaya (Kamagaya City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kosodate-kyouiku/kyoikuindex/bunka_menu/bunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.10.20
