Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Gunma

Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate

Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate: A Zelkova Yakuimon Gateway

The east-facing main gate of the Kawabata estate in Fujioka, Gunma: a mid-Meiji yakuimon of solid zelkova with a flat outer ceiling and a coffered inner one.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Gunma

What Is the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate?

The Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate (川端家住宅大門, Kawabata-ke Jūtaku Ōmon) is the main entrance to the Kawabata estate in Tateishishinden, Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture, a zelkova-wood Yakuimon gate thought to date from the middle Meiji period, like the Villa, and registered in 2001 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

It opens in the east side of the compound, between the East Grain Storehouse and the Head Clerk’s Room. It is a one-bay gate with a single opening and short flanking Sodobei walls, under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles. The frontage is 2.8 meters.

Approached from outside, the Head Clerk’s Room is on the right and the storehouse on the left. The gate does not stand alone; it works with its neighbors to form a single entrance front.

Why the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate Was Registered

The Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property under the criterion "contributes to the historic landscape of the country," as the element that presents the estate to the outside world.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes two things in particular: every member is zelkova (keyaki), and the gate is in good condition. Hard, heavy zelkova used without economy is a direct expression of how well the family was doing in its silk years.

Because the gate appears to be contemporary with the Villa, the guest wing and the gate guests first walked through seem to belong to one campaign of building.

Highlights of the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate

Start with the eaves of the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate. The rafters are set in two tiers and closely spaced, which gives the eave edge a depth out of proportion to the gate’s modest size.

Then look up. On the outer side the ceiling is a plain, flat board ceiling without ribs; on the inner side it becomes a coffered Gō-tenjō grid. The ceiling changes character as you pass beneath, understated for arriving visitors and more formal on the household side.

Beyond the gate lies the forecourt. The owners’ website describes the view from there, with the Main House ahead across a water basin and the Villa glimpsed to the right through the Middle Gate. The gate is where the estate’s sequence of views begins.

Visiting the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate

The Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate faces outward, but the estate is a private home and is not open to the public. Passing through into the forecourt is possible only as part of the owners’ reservation-only services for filming or events.

The coffered ceiling on the inner side can only be seen from within the grounds. Ask about photography when you make a booking.

The layout of the whole estate and transport details are on the Kawabata Family Residence page.

Q&A

QWhat type of gate is the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate?: AIt is a one-bay yakuimon gate with flanking walls, a gabled tiled roof and a 2.8-meter frontage, built entirely of zelkova wood.

QWhen was the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate built?: AIt is thought to date from the middle Meiji period, like the Villa. It was registered in 2001.

QWhat is unusual about the ceiling of the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate?: AThe outer half has a flat plain ceiling and the inner half a coffered grid, so the ceiling changes as you walk through.

QWhat stands next to the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate?: ASeen from outside, the Head Clerk’s Room is to the right and the East Grain Storehouse to the left; together they form the estate entrance.

QCan I walk through the Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate?: AOnly with a booking. The estate is private and is open solely for reservation-only filming and event use.

Basic Information

Name	Kawabata Family Residence Great Gate
Location	391 Tateishishinden, Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	2001 (Heisei 13)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Frontage 2.8 m
Owner	Kawabata Hozensha
Public Access	Not open to the public (private home; reservation-only use for filming and events)