About the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate
The Uehara Family Residence Front Gate (上原家住宅表門, Uehara-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a mid-Meiji gate built entirely of zelkova at the south entrance of a former village headman's estate in Kirigasaku, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019.
The gate stands at the middle of the south side of the plot, facing south. It is a Yakuimon one bay wide; the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the opening as 2.9 metres. The roof is gabled and laid with pantiles, and a small Kugurido wicket door is set in at the west side. Every timber in it is zelkova.
The agency dates the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate to the mid-Meiji era, 1883 to 1897 in its year field, and records a renovation in 2013. The other three Uehara buildings are registered at lot 18, Maeyama; the gate alone is registered at lot 18-2.
Heavy Timber and Carved Detail
The first thing to notice on the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate is the size of the timber. The main posts and the Kabuki tie beam across their tops are cut from large rectangular sections rather than square ones, a form called gohei-zai. Turned with the broad face forward, they make both posts and beam look heavier still.
The street face is where the carpentry is concentrated. Beams project forward, and bracket arms set on them carry the eave purlin. Under the eaves is a flat board ceiling, and carved panels are fitted above the beams. All of it sits where a caller standing at the gate would look up and see it.
Zelkova is hard and finely figured, and a gate made wholly of it would have been costly. With its thick timbers and carved panels, the gate probably told passers-by plainly how well placed the headman's family was.
A Front for the Village Office
The Uehara Family Residence Front Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency describes its imposing front, made by the heavy zelkova and the work on its street face, as fitting for a Meiji village office.
That is a reference to the house's history. According to Noda City, the Uehara were village headmen in the Edo period, and in the Meiji era the kochō yakuba, the village office of the day, was housed on the estate. The Uehara Family Residence Front Gate was therefore the door both to a headman's home and to local government, used by villagers on business as well as by officials.
Seeing the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate
The Uehara Family Residence Front Gate belongs to a private home, and visitors cannot pass through it into the grounds. Noda City states that the Uehara Family Residence is lived in and cannot be visited inside.
Because it faces south from the south side of the plot, the Front Gate is probably the easiest of the four buildings to see from outside, although this has not been checked on site. Noda City's page carries a photograph of the gate taken from the south-west that shows the wicket door and the gabled roof. Please photograph only from the public road and do not linger in front of the gate. Directions are on the Uehara Family Residence (Noda) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji era, between 1883 and 1897. It was renovated in 2013.
- What type of gate is the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate?
- A yakuimon one bay wide, built entirely of zelkova, with a gabled pantiled roof and a wicket door on the west side.
- What details should I look for on the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate?
- The massive rectangular-section posts and tie beam, the bracket arms on projecting beams that carry the eaves, the flat board ceiling under the eaves and the carved panels above the beams.
- Why is the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2019 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency describes it as an imposing front fitting for a Meiji village office.
- Can visitors enter through the Uehara Family Residence Front Gate?
- No. The Uehara Family Residence is a private home, and Noda City states that it cannot be visited inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Uehara Family Residence Front Gate (上原家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 18-2 Maeyama, Kirigasaku, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Opening 2.9 m wide |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 上原家住宅表門
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012880
- Cultural Heritage Online: 上原家住宅表門
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/402768
- Noda City: Uehara Family Residence
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1024647.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
