Middle Gate and Board Fence, Hirao Family Residence
A house that received rank and ran a great agricultural estate needed a considered face, and the Hirao Family Residence in Toyooka has many. The Hirao served as great village headmen and were among the leading landowners of Tajima; within their roughly 4,000-square-metre grounds, some twenty buildings and a sequence of gates and walls, raised from the Edo period into the early Showa era, order the approach and the interior alike.
The Structure Itself
South of the main house's formal shikidai entrance, and northeast of the stone bridge, stands the middle gate. It is an udegimon, a bracket gate whose roof is carried on arms cantilevered from the posts rather than on a separate frame, here just 1.5 metres wide under a gabled pantile roof.
Flanking it, board fences run about 12 metres in total, standing 1.6 metres to the ridge. Square posts rise from cut-stone sills, the lower walls sheathed in horizontal weatherboard and finished in black plaster, with a projecting purlin set on the bracket arms beneath the pantiles. Gate and fence together give this approach the composed, slightly formal bearing appropriate to the house of a former village headman.
Why It Was Registered
The estate was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2008, recognising how completely the framework of a great landowner's compound, its main house, quarters, storehouses, walls and waterworks, survives here as a single ensemble. Each registered element earns its place less as a solitary monument than as one part of that larger, coherent whole.
Seeing It Today
The Hirao Family Residence remains a private home and is, as a rule, not open to the public. Visitors should not expect interior access, and the family's privacy asks for a respectful distance. The exterior and its river setting can be appreciated from the public road nearby, and travellers to this corner of Tajima can pair a passing look with the region's more accessible sights: the willow-lined hot-spring town of Kinosaki Onsen, the old castle town of Izushi with its soba and clock tower, and the columnar basalt cliffs of Genbudo Park along the Maruyama River.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hirao Family Residence Inner Gate and Wooden Fence
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside the Hirao Family Residence?
- No. The residence is privately owned and generally closed to the public. You can view its exterior and river setting from the adjacent public road, but please respect the residents' privacy.
- What is an udegimon (bracket gate)?
- It is a gate whose roof is supported on arms, or brackets, projecting from the main posts, rather than on a separate structural frame. It is a simple, economical form widely used for the working and secondary gates of large houses.
- How old is this part of the estate?
- It dates to the mid-Meiji period (1868–1911). The estate as a whole was built up across generations, from Edo-period storehouses through the 1896 main house to early-Showa additions, so its elements span more than a century.
- What else can I see nearby?
- Toyooka offers Kinosaki Onsen for its hot springs, the castle town of Izushi for soba and historic streets, and Genbudo Park for its dramatic columnar basalt, all within easy reach of the Morio district.
Basic Information
| Name | Middle Gate and Board Fence, Hirao Family Residence (平尾家住宅中門及び板塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 958 Ando, Morio, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 7 March 2008 (gazetted 19 March 2008) |
| Count | 1棟 |
| Structure | Gate: timber, tiled, 1.5 m wide; fence: timber, tiled, 12 m long |
| Period | mid-Meiji period (1868–1911) |
| Ownership / Access | Privately owned; not open to the public |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs — 平尾家住宅中門及び板塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006913
- Cultural Heritage Online — Main House, Hirao Family Residence
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/186783
- The Tajima (Tajima Encyclopedia) — Hirao Family Residence
- https://the-tajima.com/spot/393/
Last verified: 2026.07.02