What is the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall?
The Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall (料亭満佐表門及び塀, Ryōtei Masa Omotemon oyobi Hei) is the 1954 gate and boundary wall enclosing the east, west and north sides of the Ryotei Masa restaurant in Nakasu 1-chome, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2019.
The wall is reinforced concrete with a tiled coping and runs 107 meters in total, and the structure field of the Agency for Cultural Affairs database records the front gate as timber with a tiled roof and a frontage of 2.2 meters. A service gate sits at the north end of the east wall. The registration number is 40-0163, and the gate and wall date from the same year as the main house.
Why the Masa gate and wall were registered
The four buildings at Ryotei Masa were registered as models of design, but the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall was registered on a different ground, as a contribution to the historic landscape of the country. What earned it registration is the face it presents to the street.
The Agency says the gate and wall give the old restaurant a frontage of real dignity, and Fukuoka City adds that the high wall and gate shut out the noise of the surrounding streets. In the middle of the Nakasu nightlife district, the rooms and garden are closed inside, and the outside world sees only a long wall and a single gate. From the street, Ryotei Masa is almost entirely this gate and wall.
The west gate and the board-faced wall
According to the Agency, the gate of the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall opens in the north part of the west wall. It has a Hisashi canopy on the outside and a lean-to Geya roof on the inside. The outer canopy shelters guests waiting at the gate, and the inner lean-to covers them as they walk on toward the entrance of the main house.
The wall is reinforced concrete capped with pantiles. Only the west stretch, where the gate stands, is faced along its lower part with vertical boards. That gives the side guests approach a timber surface and lets a concrete wall sit easily with a sukiya-style frontage.
The sources do not agree on the size or construction of the gate. The structure field of the Agency's database gives a frontage of 2.2 meters, but the description in the same database says the gateway opening is 4.5 meters wide. The Agency's March 2019 recommendation report also describes the gate as reinforced concrete like the wall, while the database structure field calls it timber. The basic information below follows the database structure field.
Seeing the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall
Of the five registered structures at Ryotei Masa, the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall is the only one anyone can see without a booking. The gate opens in the west wall on the Naka River side, and from the street you can take in the gateway and the long run of wall.
Only guests with reservations may pass through the gate, and the service gate is for staff and deliveries. There is no official guidance on photography, so if you photograph the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall from outside, avoid catching guests or staff coming and going. The nearest station is Nakasu-Kawabata on the Fukuoka City Subway, about 5 minutes away on foot.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall built and registered?
- It was built in 1954 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2019, under number 40-0163.
- Can I see the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall from outside?
- Yes. The gate opens in the west wall on the Naka River side and can be seen from the street. Only guests with reservations may go through it.
- How long is the wall of the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall?
- The reinforced concrete, tile-capped wall runs 107 meters in total along the east, west and north sides, with a service gate at the north end of the east wall.
- Why is the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with giving the old restaurant a dignified frontage.
- How wide is the gate of the Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall?
- The structure field of the Agency's database gives a frontage of 2.2 meters, but the database description gives 4.5 meters for the gateway opening, so the sources differ.
Basic Information
| Name | Ryotei Masa Front Gate and Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 103 and others, Nakasu 1-chome, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Gate frontage 2.2 meters; wall 107 meters in total length |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Operating ryotei restaurant (reservations only; first-time guests need an introduction); no general public opening |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 料亭満佐表門及び塀 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013007
- Cultural Heritage Online: 料亭満佐表門及び塀 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/451860
- Appendix to the March 2019 registration report (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/03/15/a1414399_03.pdf
- Press release on the registration of Ryotei Masa (Fukuoka City, in Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/files/NewsBlocks/f87f3de0-0797-43cf-b169-177a98f53416/value01/NewsParagraph542fileja.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.04
