A Cobblestone Gate on the Street Line
The Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate (鈴木家住宅表門, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a stone gate built in 1924 in Numa, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2007. It stands on the boundary with the road in front of the Main House, facing north, and measures 3.2 metres high and 2.8 metres wide.
It is built of rounded cobbles laid in mortar, with a flanking wall and a post on each side. It was completed with the Main House and storehouse in the year after the Great Kantō Earthquake, and the three were registered together.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its weighty construction, well matched to the house and front garden, and its role in forming the formal frontage of the property.
The gate is what a passer-by actually sees. The hybrid Main House is set well back behind the garden, so it falls to the gate to announce the standing of the household, and the massive cobblestone posts and the curving side walls (Sodobei) do exactly that.
What to Look For
A pair of squared posts stands at the opening. From each, a side wall swings forward toward the street in a curve and ends in a second post, so the gate sits at the back of a small half-round forecourt that draws visitors in.
The iron doors that once closed the gate are gone, but the hinge fittings that carried them are still fixed to the posts, a small clue to how the entrance first looked.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate belongs to a private home, and you cannot pass through it. The gate itself, however, stands right on the road line, so the cobble masonry and the curve of the side walls are easy to see from the street.
The gate is still the household's entrance. Keep clear of it while looking or taking photos, and stay out of the way of traffic.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate in Tateyama?
- You cannot go through the gate, but it stands on the road line and can be seen clearly from the street. Please keep the entrance clear.
- How large is the Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate?
- It is 3.2 metres high and 2.8 metres wide, with a curved side wall and a post on each side.
- What is the Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate made of?
- Rounded cobblestones laid in mortar.
- Does the Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate still have its doors?
- The original iron doors have been lost, but the fittings that carried them remain on the posts.
- Is the Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate the famous Red Gate?
- Akamon, the Red Gate, is the local name for the Suzuki family's clinic, opened in 1888, whose gateposts were painted red. Published sources do not say whether this cobblestone gate itself was ever painted.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate (鈴木家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1619 Numa, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/5/15 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone; 3.2 metres high, 2.8 metres wide; with flanking walls and posts |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open beyond the gate (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Front Gate (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006099
- Tateyama City: Suzuki Family Residence Main House, Storehouse and Front Gate (Japanese)
- https://www.city.tateyama.chiba.jp/syougaigaku/page009934.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
