Hino Family Residence Main Gate and Attendant's Room
The formal face of the Hino estate is its main gate, which stands at the south front of the site in Fukase, Kōda-chō, Aki-Takata, Hiroshima. Built in the udegimon style, with the roof carried on projecting arms, it has a frontage of about 3.6 metres and a wicket door on its west side.
Local tradition holds that this gate was moved here from the jinya of a Yoshida domain, a residence gate first put up around 1864 in the first year of the Genji era. It is said to have been relocated to the Hino compound in the early Meiji period.
West of the gate, reached through the wicket, a single-storey attendant's room joins it like a guard post. Covering only about 13 square metres, this tomobeya carries a latticed bay window on its front.
Why It Matters
Gate and room were registered together on 17 November 2015 for their contribution to the historic landscape. They give the residence its dignified entrance and record the standing of a family that had dealings with domain authority.
The gate's value rests partly on that reported origin and partly on its own solid, well-made form, with stout timbers plainly finished. Where the older kura on the site speak of storage and industry, the gate speaks of reception and rank.
The attendant's room completes the picture. Its guard-post position and latticed window show how arrivals were watched and received, lending the whole entrance a formal, composed character.
What to Look For
Approaching from the south, the gate and its adjoining room present the estate's most ceremonious front. The projecting-arm construction and the wicket door are worth study, since they show a gentry gate adapted to a rural residence.
Look at the latticed bay of the attendant's room and the sturdy timbers of the gate together; they turn a simple entrance into a small statement of status. The reported link to a domain jinya adds a layer of history to what is already a handsome structure.
The residence is private and cannot be entered, so the gate is enjoyed from the public road as the frontispiece of the whole group. Nearby, the ruins of Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle and the Aki-Takata City Museum of History and Folklore are open and repay a visit.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hiroshima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hino Family Residence Front Gate and Accompanying Room
- [ Itsukushima Shrine & Hiroshima Peace Memorial ]
Q&A
- Where is the main gate said to come from?
- Local tradition holds that it was moved from the jinya of a Yoshida domain, a gate first built around 1864, relocated here in the early Meiji period.
- What is the attendant's room?
- A small single-storey room of about 13 square metres joined to the gate like a guard post, with a latticed bay window at the front.
- What style is the gate?
- An udegimon, with the roof carried on projecting arms, about 3.6 metres wide and fitted with a wicket door.
- Can I enter?
- No. The residence is private, but the gate can be seen from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Hino Family Residence Main Gate and Attendant's Room / 日野家住宅表門及び伴部屋 |
|---|---|
| Location | 172 Kō and 172 Otsu (merged), Fukase, Kōda-chō, Aki-Takata, Hiroshima |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 17 November 2015 (registration no. 34-0154) |
| Structure | Gate: timber, tiled roof, frontage 3.6 m, wicket door; attendant's room: single-storey timber, tiled roof, approx. 13 m² |
| Built | gate around 1864 (Genji 1), moved early Meiji |
| Access | Privately owned; not generally open to the public |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁） — 日野家住宅表門及び伴部屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010897
- 安芸高田市 — 日野家住宅
- https://www.akitakata.jp/ja/shisei/section/kyouiku/shisekibunkazai/cultural_asset/r899/
- 文化遺産オンライン — 日野家住宅主屋
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/276956
Last verified: 2026.07.03