What Is the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
The Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (加藤家住宅長屋門, Katō-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is the front gatehouse on the southern edge of a merchant family's compound in Aboshi-ku Yokohama, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; it was built in 1864 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2009.
It is a Nagayamon, a gate set into a long row building with rooms or storehouses on either side. The structure is 20 meters long and 4.7 meters deep, single-storey timber with a partial upper floor, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Hongawarabuki tile, and covers 96 square meters. It went up two years after the main house of 1862 and was altered in the early Showa period.
Why the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate Was Registered
The Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it gives the compound its formal face.
Twenty meters of white wall is, in effect, the front of the house. The gate opening lies almost directly across from the Shikidai formal entrance at the center of the main house, so the gate and the front door share a single axis. The arrangement shows the gatehouse working with the main house to announce the family's standing rather than serving only as a way in.
What to Look for at the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
On the east side of the opening is a storehouse known as the Second Storehouse; on the west is a storeroom. You can tell them apart by their windows. The storehouse has a Yorikimado, a window of thick vertical bars, while the storeroom has a projecting Degōshi lattice. The two window types give the long façade a different character at each end.
The upper walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster, and the lower walls are clad in vertical boards in the Tateita-bari style. The contrast between white plaster above and dark timber below keeps the long horizontal face from looking blank.
The database entry for the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate also notes a kinin-guchi, an entrance traditionally set aside for guests of high rank and separate from the everyday way in. The description does not say where it is, but its presence suggests a merchant household that took care over how it received visitors.
Visiting the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
The Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate belongs to a private home, and you cannot go through it. Because it forms the front of the property on the south edge, the south side is where you can see it.
Compare the barred window at the east end with the projecting lattice at the west to see how the storehouse and the storeroom were treated differently. Take photographs from outside the property and avoid lingering in front of the gate. Directions are on the page for the Kato Family Residence as a whole.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built?
- In 1864, two years after the main house. It was altered in the early Showa period.
- How big is the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is 20 meters long and 4.7 meters deep, with a building area of 96 square meters. It is single-storey with a partial second floor.
- What is on either side of the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate opening?
- A storehouse called the Second Storehouse on the east, with a barred yorikimado window, and a storeroom on the west, with a projecting degoshi lattice.
- What is the kinin-guchi at the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- An entrance reserved for high-ranking guests, separate from the everyday entrance. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database records that the gate has one.
- Can visitors see the Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It belongs to a private home and you cannot pass through it, but as the front of the property on the south edge it can be viewed from the south side.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 53-1 Aboshi-ku Yokohama, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 96 m² (20 m by 4.7 m) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007519
- Himeji City: Kato Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001726.html
- Himeji City: List of Registered Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
