The Gate to the Inner Garden
The Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence (廣田家住宅庭門及び塀) is a timber garden gate and fence of the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912) in Kamisakabe 2-chome, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on 24 June 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records the gate as timber with a tiled roof and an opening of 1.2 metres, and the fence as timber with a tiled coping, 16 metres in all, registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country and classed as an "other structure" rather than a building; registration number 28-0764.
The Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence run in an L from the west post of the main house's shikidai entrance, enclosing the garden in front of the inner reception rooms. Amagasaki City describes the fence as running south-west from the house and dividing the garden into north and south, with the gate set in it.
Construction
The gate is an udekimon under a kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of sangawara-buki tiles, 1.2 metres wide, fitted with a sliding plank door with a diamond lattice.
The fence is timber with a tiled coping, 16 metres long in all. The outer face is boarded at the base and rendered white above; the inner face is white above and grey at the base.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency values the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence for shaping the view both inside and outside the garden. In a headman's house, guests shown in through the formal entrance would look out on this garden from the reception rooms. The gate and fence set that garden apart from the working yard while keeping a tidy face toward it, which makes them an essential part of the homestead's plan.
What to Look For
On the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence, look first at the gate itself. It is an udekimon, a gate whose roof sits on udeki brackets projecting from the posts, and it is closed by a plank door with a diamond lattice that slides back out of sight into the wall. The lattice gives the front of the gate a light pattern.
The fence is finished differently on each side. Outside, it is boarded at the base and rendered white above; inside the garden, it is white above and grey at the base. One side is the face the homestead shows to the outer yard, the other the backdrop to the garden as seen from the reception rooms. The Agency database includes a photograph taken from within the garden.
Visiting
The Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence enclose the garden in front of the main house, inside a private home, and cannot be visited; Amagasaki City states that the residence is not open to the public. The Agency database photograph shows them.
Q&A
- Where are the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence?
- They run in an L from the west post of the main house's formal entrance, enclosing the garden in front of the inner rooms. Amagasaki City describes the fence as running south-west from the house and dividing the garden into north and south.
- What kind of gate is the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate?
- A bracketed udekimon gate with a gabled roof of pan tiles, closed by a sliding plank door with a diamond lattice. The opening is 1.2 metres wide.
- How big are the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence?
- The gate has an opening of 1.2 metres and the fence runs 16 metres in all; both are timber with tiled roofs.
- Can I visit the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence?
- No. They stand within the garden of a private home, and Amagasaki City states that the residence is not open to the public.
- When was the Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence registered?
- On 24 June 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence (廣田家住宅庭門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 162 Kamisakabe 2-chome, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 item (gate and fence) |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tiled, opening 1.2 metres; fence: timber, tiled, 16 metres in total |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database (private residence) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013861
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hirota Family Residence Garden Gate and Fence (in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/591560
- Amagasaki City: Hirota Family Residence, registered cultural properties of Amagasaki (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.amagasaki.hyogo.jp/manabu/bunkazai_0/1028308/1028313/1028798.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19
