What Is the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse?
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse (旧九州帝国大学門衛所, Kyū-Kyūshū Teikoku Daigaku Mon'eijo) is a single-storey brick gate lodge completed in 1914 at Kyushu University's Hakozaki Satellite in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 February 2023.
It covers a building area of 29 square meters under a slate-covered hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri), with an L-shaped plan divided into an office and a rest room. Kurata Ken, head of Kyushu Imperial University's architecture section, designed it and Konoike-gumi built it; the university's records give the start of work as November 1913 and completion as January 1914. Standing right beside the main gate, the Gatehouse has served the gatekeepers from the day it opened.
Why the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse Matters
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse was registered as a model of architectural design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it the oldest gatehouse in the Hakozaki district and notes its richly decorated exterior. Kyushu University goes further, describing it as the oldest surviving building on the former Hakozaki campus and the starting point of Kyushu Imperial University's campus architecture.
For a guard's lodge it carries a remarkable amount of design: ridge ornaments, ventilation grilles and carved stone crowd onto small wall surfaces. The university's assessment finds many shared details with the Headquarters Office Building and the Architecture Section Building, put up more than ten years later, a sign that the same in-house design office kept its vocabulary from the beginning of the Taisho era to its end.
How the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse Was Moved
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse was first built a little further west, inside the campus, with its entrance facing east. In February 1924, when the campus grew southward and the main gate was repositioned, the lodge was not taken down but moved whole by Hikiya, the Japanese technique of sliding a building to a new site, and set down with its door facing south.
Kyushu University points out that, as a result of the move, the side now at the rear carries more ornament than the entrance front. Look only at the entrance and you miss the most careful work on the building.
The move also shifted the toilet. Just after relocation a wooden privy stood to the left of the entrance; in 1958 a storeroom was converted to take its place, out of sight from the front. The national database also records renovations in 1958 and 2012.
What to Look For on the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse
Start above the door. The entrance of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse is crowned by a broken pediment, a triangular gable left open at the apex, which Kyushu University compares closely to the Fukuoka City Akarenga Cultural Center, the former Nippon Life Kyushu branch office.
The roof combines several hipped sections, with a gable turned to the front only. The brick is laid mainly as headers, the base is granite and the copings are artificial stone. Segmental arches run in series over the windows, which the university reads as a lingering trace of Art Nouveau, and white granite at key points around the openings sets up a small rhythm across the red walls.
Inside, painted mortar walls and painted board ceilings are kept deliberately plain. All the effort went to the outside.
Seeing the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse stands on the right as you face the main gate. It has always been a working guard post, and no interior openings are announced, so it is seen from outside by the gate.
After the south-facing entrance, look for the opposite side where the paths in the grounds allow. Comparing it with the entrance front shows how this small building was once turned around. Directions to the site and the rules for walking through the grounds are on the Former Kyushu Imperial University page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse built and registered?
- It was completed in 1914 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 February 2023.
- Was the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse moved?
- Yes. In February 1924 it was moved whole to its present site, and its entrance was turned from east to south.
- Can visitors go inside the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse?
- No interior openings are announced. The building is viewed from outside beside the main gate.
- What is the ornament above the door of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse?
- It is a broken pediment, a gable left open at the top. Kyushu University compares it to the Fukuoka City Akarenga Cultural Center.
- How big is the Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse?
- It is a single-storey brick building with a building area of 29 square meters, divided into an office and a rest room.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 27 February 2023 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 29 m² |
| Owner | Kyushu University, National University Corporation |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014546
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/597700
- Fukuoka City Cultural Properties: Former Kyushu Imperial University Gatehouse (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/cultural_properties/detail/781
- Kyushu University: Modern Buildings at Hakozaki, Main Gate Gatehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/university/campus/hakozaki-campus/hakozaki_buildings/buildings/seimonmonei/
- Kyushu University: Modern Buildings of the Former Kyushu Imperial University at Hakozaki Satellite (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/f/50488/20221116hakozaki.pdf
- Kyushu University: Hakozaki Modern Buildings to Become Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/topics/view/1854/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
