A Gate Between Two Gardens
The Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (赤木家住宅中門及び塀, Akagi-ke Jūtaku Chūmon oyobi Hei) is a late-Meiji gate with flanking walls on the east side of the main house of the Akagi estate at 972 Hikino in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
In front of the main entrance lies a forecourt garden; north of the house spreads a second, more private garden. The middle gate stands on the line between them, dividing the garden where guests were received from the one behind.
A One-Bay Gate and Its Walls
The gate is a single-bay udegi-mon, its roof carried on arms projecting from the posts, gabled and laid with pantiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the opening as 1.8 metres wide, a size down from the 2.3 metres of the front gate and right for a gate inside the compound.
Tile-capped timber walls run off on either side. The west arm reaches the main house; the east arm runs to a privy on the property line. The walls total 6.3 metres.
Placed where it is, the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall steers a visitor coming through the front gate toward the entrance, and quietly screens the inner garden from view.
A Privy at the End of the Wall
The registration includes the privy at the east end of the wall. It does not appear in the name, but the Agency's record adds a note that a toilet is attached.
The privy covers half a tsubo, roughly the area of one tatami mat, and has its own small gabled roof of pantiles. It caps the end of the wall, closing the line from gate to boundary.
The estate also has 2 perimeter walls registered separately, known simply as wall one and wall two. The Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall does a different job, fencing off only the garden in front of the house. The Agency credits it with shaping the view before the main entrance, and it was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Seeing the Middle Gate
The gate stands east of the main house, inside the compound, so you would need to be on the grounds to see it.
The residence is a family home and is generally closed to the public, and no opening of the gardens beyond the gate has been announced. Photography rules are not published; ask when you visit.
Directions and the terms for visiting the property are on the Akagi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 2 March 2006, on the same day as the other 15 registered structures of the residence.
- Where is the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall?
- East of the main house, on the line between the forecourt in front of the entrance and the garden north of the house.
- What kind of gate is the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate?
- A single-bay udegi-mon with a gabled, pantiled roof carried on projecting arms. Its opening is recorded as 1.8 metres.
- What does the registration of the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall include?
- The gate, tile-capped timber walls on both sides totalling 6.3 metres, and a privy of half a tsubo at the east end, which also has a gabled, pantiled roof.
- Can visitors see the Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall?
- It stands inside the compound, so seeing it means entering the grounds. The residence is generally closed; check the Akagi Family Residence page for visiting terms.
Basic Information
| Name | Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (赤木家住宅中門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Gate: timber bracket-armed gate, gabled, pantiled, 1.8 metres wide. Walls: timber, tiled, 6.3 metres long, with a privy |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | Inside the compound, hard to see from outside; residence generally closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (赤木家住宅中門及び塀)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005324
- Cultural Heritage Online: Akagi Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (赤木家住宅中門及び塀)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/170632
- 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
- 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
