What Is the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall?
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall (旧九州帝国大学正門及び塀, Kyū-Kyūshū Teikoku Daigaku Seimon oyobi Hei) is a brick gateway with flanking walls built in 1914 at Kyushu University's Hakozaki Satellite in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 August 2024.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the gateposts are brick with an opening 4.5 meters wide and a side gate on each flank, and the wall, of concrete block and brick, runs for 41 meters in total. The contractor was Konoike-gumi, and the design is thought very likely to be by Kurata Ken, head of the university's architecture section. Known simply as the Kyushu University main gate, it has served as the university's front door for more than a century, its nameplate changing from Kyushu Imperial University to Kyushu University along the way.
Why the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall Was Registered
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape. That sets it apart from the four buildings behind it, which were registered as models of design: what counted here was the gate's long role as a landmark in the streetscape of Hakozaki.
Kyushu University describes the gate, together with the gatehouse, as the oldest structure at the Hakozaki Satellite, dating from 1914, and notes that students and alumni still pose here for entrance and graduation photos. On its registration the university said it hoped the gate would become an entrance to the new district being built on the former campus, not only a reminder of the university's old public face.
Reading the Gateposts of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall
Each main post of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall is a square shaft of red brick on a white granite plinth, divided into three by two bands of the same pale stone. The top is a Granite cap (Kasagi) with a pair of frieze-like ornaments on each face, above which a hollowed molding projects like a small cornice. A square pedestal on top once carried a globe lamp on bronze fittings; the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the design of the cap classical.
Beside each main post stands a lower buttressing post (Hikaebashira) framing a pedestrian side gate. These secondary posts are simplified versions of the main ones, with no frieze and no lamp pedestal, so the hierarchy between main and side openings is plain to see.
A tall copper plate reading "Kyushu University" in relief is set into the right-hand main post. On the left post, a little above mid-height, anchor-bolt holes remain, and the university's survey suggests a plate once hung there too. The wall itself is a concrete-block body capped with stone and punctuated by brick piers at regular intervals.
Relocation and Seismic Work on the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall was not built where it stands now. When the campus expanded southward in 1924, the gate was moved to its present site along with the gatehouse, changing its position and orientation. It has stayed in the same place ever since, and the university believes it is the original main gate from the founding of Kyushu Imperial University.
The gateposts have since been strengthened against earthquakes. Fukuoka City's cultural property page notes that during the work in fiscal 2022 the lamps on the post tops and the iron railings of the wall were replaced, and these two elements are outside the registration. The national database records the work as a 2023 renovation.
Seeing the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall
The Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall stands on a public street and can be viewed from the road. It is also a pedestrian entrance to the Hakozaki Satellite: walking from the west exit of JR Hakozaki Station, you reach it via the Kyudai Seimon Iriguchi intersection.
Keep in mind that the lamps and railings are modern replacements. For the original fabric, look at the granite plinths and bands, the brick bonding and the carving of the stone caps, and compare a main post with a side post to see how much ornament was taken away. Directions to the whole 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 Main Gate and Wall built and registered?
- It was built in 1914, moved to its present site in 1924, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 August 2024.
- How large is the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall?
- The gateway opening is 4.5 meters wide with a side gate on each flank, and the wall runs 41 meters in total, according to the national database.
- How does the registration of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall differ from the other four buildings?
- The four buildings were registered as models of design, while the gate and wall were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape.
- Are the lamps and railings of the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall original?
- No. The lamps and the iron railings were replaced during seismic work in fiscal 2022 and are not part of the registration.
- Who designed the Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall?
- Kyushu University and Fukuoka City consider it very likely the work of Kurata Ken, then head of the university's architecture section. It was built by Konoike-gumi.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 15 August 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gateway opening 4.5 m; wall 41 m in total length |
| Owner | Kyushu University, National University Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015103
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/565661
- Fukuoka City Cultural Properties: Former Kyushu Imperial University Main Gate and Wall (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/cultural_properties/detail/777
- Kyushu University: All Remaining Modern Buildings at Hakozaki Registered (Japanese)
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/topics/view/2058/
- Kyushu University: Modern Buildings at Hakozaki, Main Gate (Japanese)
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/university/campus/hakozaki-campus/hakozaki_buildings/buildings/seimon/
- 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
Last verified: 2026.09.30
