About the Endo Family Residence Front Gate
The Endo Family Residence Front Gate (遠藤家住宅表門, Endō-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a timber gate built around 1919 at 5-18 Minami 6-jo Nishi in Chuo Ward, Sapporo, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014.
The Endo Family Residence Front Gate opens in the south side of the estate, set at an angle in front of the main house entrance. It is a single-bay Yakuimon 2.5 meters wide under a gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, with flanking walls on either side that run on into the Sapporo soft-stone boundary wall.
Why the Front Gate Was Registered
The Endo Family Residence Front Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its generous size and the heavy proportions of its timbers, which give it real presence, and describes it as the gate that forms the formal front of the estate.
When the City of Sapporo published its guide to local cultural properties, it was this gate that it chose for the photograph heading the Endo Family Residence page. A timber gate between two stretches of stone wall is, in effect, the face the estate shows the street.
What a Yakuimon Is
A yakuimon stands on four posts: two main posts that carry the doors, and two rear posts behind them. The ridge of the gabled roof is set toward the main posts rather than centred over the whole gate, so the front and back slopes differ in length. A single-bay yakuimon has just one opening between the main posts.
At 2.5 meters across, the Endo Family Residence Front Gate is wide for a private house, and its posts and beams are thick. Japanese carpenters call the system of proportions between members kiwari, and it is the large kiwari of this gate that the Agency singles out.
A Gently Swelling Roof
The roof of the Endo Family Residence Front Gate has a slight convex curve, called mukuri, and the curve is carried through not only in the tiled surface but also in the exposed rafters seen from below. Mukuri bows the roof upward, the opposite of the concave sweep familiar from temple roofs, and it gives the gate a softer, more settled look than a straight roof would.
Each flanking wall has a Kugurido, a small wicket door that lets people pass without opening the main doors. Everyday comings and goings used the wickets; the big doors were for receiving guests.
Seeing the Endo Family Residence Front Gate
The Endo Family Residence Front Gate faces the street on the south and is the most visible of the six registered structures. You cannot go through it, but the whole gate can be seen from the road. The curve of the roof is easiest to pick out from a slight angle, following the line of the eaves, rather than head-on.
No official guidance on photography could be found as of October 2026. The gate is the entrance to a private property, so if the doors are open, keep what lies beyond out of your pictures.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hokkaido
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Endo Family Residence Front Gate
- [ Explore Sapporo Snow Festivals & Lavender Fields ]
Q&A
- When was the Endo Family Residence Front Gate built?
- Around 1919, the same period as the rest of the estate.
- Why is the Endo Family Residence Front Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2014 as a large, heavily proportioned gate of real presence that forms the formal front of the estate.
- What type of gate is the Endo Family Residence Front Gate?
- A single-bay yakuimon, 2.5 meters wide, with a gabled pantile roof whose surface and exposed rafters have a gentle convex curve.
- What is on either side of the Endo Family Residence Front Gate?
- Flanking walls with wicket doors, which connect to the Sapporo soft-stone boundary wall.
- Can I see the Endo Family Residence Front Gate?
- Yes, from the street on the south. You cannot pass through it, but the whole exterior is visible.
Basic Information
| Name | Endo Family Residence Front Gate (遠藤家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-18 Minami 6-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2014 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2.5 m wide (timber, with flanking walls and wicket doors) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior viewable from outside the grounds only) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Endo Family Residence Front Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010092
- Cultural Heritage Online: Endo Family Residence Front Gate (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/243545
- City of Sapporo: Cultural Properties of Sapporo, Endo Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.sapporo.jp/shimin/bunkazai/pdf/documents/p56_endoke_ol.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
