Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate)

Hirayasu Entrance Gate: A Refined Yakuimon Gate of 1919 in Kawanishi

A 1919 one-bay yakuimon gate at the Hirayasu residence in Kawanishi City Local Museum, with a wicket door on one side and a wall turning into the entrance wing.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate

The Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate) (川西市郷土館（旧平安家住宅玄関門）) is a one-bay Yakuimon gate of 1918 to 1919 in Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 7, 1997. It stands beside the east end of the entrance wing and leads guests to the front door.

It has a gabled tiled roof and wing walls on both sides; the Agency for Cultural Affairs database lists it as a one-bay yakuimon with roofed walls and gives no building area. The family used the nagayamon gate for everyday comings and goings, so the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate was the formal way in for visitors.

Two Different Wing Walls

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate is worth a close look because its two wing walls are not alike. The left wall, as you face the gate, has a small wicket door, so people could pass even when the main leaves were shut.

The right wall turns a right angle and runs straight into the entrance wing. No gap is left between gate and building, and a guest who passes through is guided into the earthen passage of the entrance wing and nowhere else. That corner shows the gate was planned together with the entrance wing rather than set up on its own.

Details of a One-Bay Yakuimon

A yakuimon has a pair of main posts with rear support posts behind them, all under one gabled roof. At a single bay wide, this is a modest gate, closer to a divider for the entrance court than a grand front gate for the whole estate.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Hirayasu entrance gate a standard Taisho-era work, small but refined down to the smallest detail. Stop in front of it and look at how the posts meet the roof and how neatly the tiles are finished.

Why It Was Registered

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate was registered as a structure that serves as a model of design, under number 28-0009, on May 7, 1997, together with 13 other Hirayasu structures.

It was valued for the quality of its craftsmanship rather than its size, as a benchmark gate of the period, and for the way it works with the entrance wing to direct visitors.

Visiting the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate

At the Kawanishi City Local Museum the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate lies on the way to the Hirayasu entrance, so visitors can see both faces of it (checked October 2026). Standing square in front of the gate, you can compare the wall with the wicket door on the left and the wall that turns into the entrance wing on the right.

Ask at reception about photography. Opening days, admission and directions are on the Kawanishi City Local Museum page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate); [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]

Q&A

QWhat type of gate is the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate?: AA one-bay yakuimon with a gabled tiled roof and wing walls on both sides.

QHow do the wing walls of the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate differ?: AThe left wall has a wicket door; the right wall turns a corner and joins the entrance wing.

QWhere is the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate?: ABeside the east end of the entrance wing of the Hirayasu house.

QWhen was the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate registered?: AOn May 7, 1997, under registration number 28-0009.

QCan visitors see the Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate?: AYes. It lies on the way to the Hirayasu entrance at the Kawanishi City Local Museum, and both faces can be seen (checked October 2026).

Basic Information

Name	Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence Entrance Gate)
Location	4-1 Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure)
Year Designated	1997 (registered)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	One-bay yakuimon gate with roofed walls, tiled roof (no building area recorded)
Owner	Kawanishi City
Public Access	Open (Kawanishi City Local Museum, admission 300 yen)