Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence

What the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence Is

The Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence (太田家住宅門及び塀, Ōta-ke Jūtaku Mon oyobi Hei) is an early Showa-era set of structures, built between 1926 and 1945, comprising the gate on the north side of the Ota family estate in Saijo-Okamachi, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, together with its outer and inner fences, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 February 2021.

The gate is timber with a tiled roof and is 1.8 metres wide; the fences are also tile-capped timber and run to 33 metres in total. The Agency for Cultural Affairs classes the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence as a miscellaneous structure and registers the gate and fences together as a single entry.

The gate stands toward the east end of the north side of the lot and opens onto the northern lane rather than the old highway. From there the outer fence turns east and west to enclose the estate, while an inner fence runs south from beside the gate to separate the path from the garden.

Why the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence Was Registered

The Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the nation.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a fine gate-and-fence ensemble that adds character to the estate. A gate and a fence are not buildings, but they give the property a clear outline from the street and hint at the arrangement of what lies inside. Just as the main house defines the highway frontage, the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence defines the view from the lane to the north.

The inner fence is included too. It belongs to the inner landscape of the estate, which means the route from the gate toward the reception rooms at the back falls within the registration as well.

What to Look For

A Carved Yakuimon Gate

The gate of the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence is a one-Ken Yakuimon gate topped with a gabled roof in sangawara pantiles. The secondary beams visible in each gable carry carved scroll patterns, and if you look up at the gate from the north you can see them just under the roof.

Board-Faced Outer Fence

The outer fence is a tile-capped timber wall faced with vertical boards along its lower half. The upright boards cut across the horizontal line of the roof tiles, which keeps a long fence from looking monotonous. The outer section of the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence turns at the gate to mark the northern edge of the estate.

Latticed Windows in the Inner Fence

The inner fence, running south from the west side of the gate, is pierced by elegant Shitaji-mado windows that expose the bamboo lathing inside the wall. This is a tea-room technique, and it lets the garden beyond show through in glimpses, a fitting touch for an estate with its own tea pavilion.

Visiting the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence

Of the six registered structures, the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence is the easiest to see. The gate and outer fence are on the north side of the estate and can be viewed head-on from the lane to the north; the Agency for Cultural Affairs database includes a photograph of the gate taken from that side.

The inner fence and its windows stand inside the lot and cannot be seen from outside. The gate is still the household's entrance, so please do not linger in front of the Ota Family Residence Gate and Fence or step through it. No public opening had been announced as of September 2026.