Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Gunma

Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate

Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate: A Meiji Gate Moved Intact in 1973

A 5.8-meter Meiji bracket-arm gate on the south side of the Fujiu estate in Kiryu, Gunma, moved whole in 1973 when the road was widened. Visible from the street.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Gunma

Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate: The Gate That Was Moved in One Piece

The Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate (藤生家住宅表門, Fujiu-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is an early Meiji-era udegi-mon, or bracket-arm gate, at the center of the south side of the Fujiu family estate in Hirosawa-chō, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture; it was shifted intact to its present position in 1973 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 15, 2007.

In a bracket-arm gate, horizontal arms project fore and aft from the posts to carry the roof. The Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate is 5.8 meters wide under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of pantiles, and its central opening, 2.5 meters across, is closed by a pair of sliding board doors that part to either side.

Moved, Not Rebuilt

When the road along the south side of the estate was widened, the family did not dismantle the Fujiu Front Gate. It was moved whole by hikiya, the Japanese technique of jacking a building up and sliding it to a new site. The register records both its early Meiji construction and the 1973 move. The long storage shed on the same side of the property was moved the same way that year.

Choosing the slower, costlier route kept the original timbers and proportions of the gate together, and the estate still greets the widened road through the same Meiji gate.

Why It Was Registered and What to Look For

The Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with giving the front of the estate its dignity.

The bays on either side of the opening have exposed-post walls in white Shikkui plaster above a clapboard base. That same pairing of white plaster and dark boarding appears on the inner storehouse and the miso storehouse deeper in the grounds, so the gate gives passers-by a preview of the finishes used throughout the compound. The generous 2.5-meter opening hints at a working farm gate built for carts as well as callers.

Seeing the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate

The Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate faces the road on the south, which makes it the easiest of the Fujiu buildings to see in full. Stand across from it to take in the arms carrying the gable roof and the white-walled side bays.

The grounds beyond the gate are a private residence and are not open. Please do not walk through, and when photographing, stay clear of traffic and of the comings and goings of the residents.

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Q&A

QWhat type of gate is the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate?: AIt is an udegi-mon, a bracket-arm gate in which arms projecting from the posts carry the roof. It is 5.8 meters wide with a gabled pantile roof.

QHas the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate always stood in its current place?: ANo. It was moved intact to its present position in 1973, when the road along the south side was widened.

QHow wide is the opening of the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate?: AThe opening is 2.5 meters wide and is closed by board doors that slide apart to either side.

QCan I see the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate from the road?: AYes. It stands at the center of the south side facing the road, and it is the easiest Fujiu building to view from outside.

QCan I walk through the Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate?: ANo. The grounds behind it are a private home and are not open to the public.

Basic Information

Name	Fujiu Family Residence Front Gate
Location	5-1179 Hirosawacho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	Registered May 15, 2007 (54th round, registration no. 10-0224)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Width 5.8 meters; opening 2.5 meters wide
Owner	Private owner
Public Access	Not open to the public (private residence)