A Gate Raised on Five Stone Steps
The Akagi Family Residence Front Gate (赤木家住宅表門, Akagi-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a mid-Meiji bracket-armed gate on the east side of the Akagi estate at 972 Hikino in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
Five cut-stone steps lead up from the road, and the gate itself stands 0.9 metres above the street. The guardhouse sits on its north flank and the east workshop runs to the south, so the face the house shows the village is built from those three structures.
Japanese call this type an udegi-mon: short arms, or udegi, project fore and aft from the posts to carry the roof beams. The roof is gabled (kirizuma-zukuri) and laid with pantiles, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs records the opening as 2.3 metres wide.
Heavy Posts and Studded Doors
The posts are 8 sun square, about 24 centimetres a side. For so modest a gate, that is serious timber.
The double plank doors carry 3 rows of iron studs, and a wicket door is cut into the north side. With the big leaves shut, people could still come and go through the wicket; the main doors could be thrown open for carts and crowds.
Compare the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate with the back gate on the far side of the property. The west gate is also bracket-armed, but its recorded width is 1.7 metres, its flanks are plain board, and there is no mention of studs or steps. The family dressed the front and kept the back plain.
Why the Gate Sits High
That 0.9-metre rise matches the lower end of the stone wall that rings the grounds, recorded at 0.9 metres to 1.7 metres high.
Tajima no Hyakka Jiten, a regional encyclopedia, describes how the Akagi family raised the whole site on stone against floods from the Maruyama River, and says the house was never inundated. Seen that way, the steps are simply the way up onto that raised ground.
The Agency's description treats the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate as part of the formal face of the house. It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Visiting the Front Gate
Because the gate fronts the road on the east, the gateway and its steps can be seen from outside the property. Look for the triple rows of studs and the wicket on the north leaf.
The residence is a family home and is generally closed to the public, so whether you can pass through the gate depends on the terms of your visit. Photography rules are not published; if you take pictures from the road, remember that people live here.
Directions and the terms for visiting the property are on the Akagi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 2 March 2006, the same day as the other 15 registered structures of the residence, including the main house.
- What kind of gate is the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate?
- It is an udegi-mon, a gate whose roof rests on arms projecting from the posts. The roof is gabled with pantiles, the opening is recorded as 2.3 metres, and the posts are 8 sun square.
- What is special about the doors of the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate?
- The double plank doors are studded in 3 rows, and a wicket door on the north side lets people pass while the main doors stay shut.
- Why does the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate stand above the road?
- It sits 0.9 metres above the road, reached by 5 cut-stone steps. The estate is said to have been raised on stone walls against floods from the Maruyama River, and the gate is the entrance to that raised ground.
- Can the Akagi Family Residence Front Gate be seen from outside?
- Yes. It faces the road on the east, so the gateway and steps are visible from outside. The residence itself is generally closed; check the Akagi Family Residence page for visiting terms.
Basic Information
| Name | Akagi Family Residence Front Gate (赤木家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 972 Hikino, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber bracket-armed gate, gabled, pantiled, 2.3 metres wide, with stone steps |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | Gateway visible from the road; residence generally closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence Front Gate (赤木家住宅表門)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005322
- Cultural Heritage Online: Akagi Family Residence Front Gate (赤木家住宅表門)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/190050
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence West Gate (赤木家住宅西門)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005323
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence Stone Wall (赤木家住宅石垣)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005327
- Tajima no Hyakka Jiten (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund): Akagi Family Residence (赤木家住宅)
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/564
Last verified: 2026.09.26
