About the Nakamura Family Residence Gate
The Nakamura Family Residence Gate (中村家住宅門, Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Mon) is a wooden gate of about 1937 facing Honcho-dori in Honcho 1-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
The Nakamura Family Residence Gate stands just south of the store, facing west onto Honcho-dori. It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki tiles and, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, an opening 2.3 m wide closed by a pair of sliding doors.
Through the gate a passage runs back along the south side of the plot, past the bathhouse and stone storehouse to the living quarters at the rear. It is the way into the house that does not go through the shop.
Why the Nakamura Family Residence Gate was registered
The Nakamura Family Residence Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the store, it helps shape the historic streetscape of Honcho-dori, and that it shows well how modern Kiryu townhouse lots were laid out with a passage along the south side.
On Kiryu's narrow, deep plots, a gate beside the shop opened onto a passage, and the family reached the house and storehouses at the back that way. A gate that lets people in without passing through the shop shows, from the street, how such a house was used.
What to look for at the Nakamura Family Residence Gate
The side walls flanking the opening are finished in the same gray plaster as the store front, with stone facing below waist height. Because the finish matches, the Nakamura Family Residence Gate and the store read as a single frontage.
According to Kiryu City, the two sliding doors slide right back into the side walls. With the doors drawn back, the gateway can be opened wide.
Sometime between 1955 and 1964 the right-hand post was removed so that cars could pass, and the beam was reinforced with steel. Kiryu City still considers the exterior to be well preserved.
Kiryu City's description gives the width as 4.25 m and dates the gate to the same period as the store, because its side walls are built as one with the store. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives a 2.3 m opening and a date of about 1937; this article follows the agency's figures.
Visiting the Nakamura Family Residence Gate
The Nakamura Family Residence Gate faces Honcho-dori, so you can see it from the street. The view from the opposite side of the road takes in the gate and the store together.
Inside the gate is a private home and business, so please do not go in, and keep any photographs to the outside as seen from the street. The layout of the whole estate and directions are on the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten and Nakamura Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamura Family Residence Gate
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Nakamura Family Residence Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates it to about 1937. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 10, 2005. Kiryu City places it in the same period as the store.
- Where is the Nakamura Family Residence Gate?
- On Honcho-dori, just south of the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store, facing west. It opens onto a passage along the south side of the plot.
- How do the doors of the Nakamura Family Residence Gate work?
- They are a pair of sliding doors that slide back into the side walls. The side walls are gray plaster like the store front, faced with stone below waist height.
- Has the Nakamura Family Residence Gate been altered?
- Between 1955 and 1964 the right-hand post was removed to let cars through and the beam was strengthened with steel. The exterior is still considered well preserved.
- Can I visit the Nakamura Family Residence Gate?
- You can see it from Honcho-dori, but the area inside the gate is private and closed to visitors.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakamura Family Residence Gate (中村家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-6-33 Honcho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005-11-10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Opening 2.3 m wide |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior closed (exterior visible from Honcho-dori) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Family Residence Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004939
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nakamura Family Residence Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/195939
- Kiryu City: Nakamura Family Residence (Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store) and six other buildings
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002002.html
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004933
Last verified: 2026.10.06
