About the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
The Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (永田家住宅長屋門, Nagata-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is a large gatehouse built in 1904 in front of the main house of the Nagata Family Residence in Shitori Nagata, Minamiawaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011. It forms the formal frontage of the compound.
The single-story timber building measures 17 meters by 5.9 meters and covers 100 square meters, under a hip-and-gable roof of hongawara tiles with lower eaves running all the way around.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a building that gives the residence a dignified front.
A Nagayamon is a gate flanked by rooms and storage under one long roof, a form often found at the front of long-established rural households. At 17 meters, the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate is the largest Nagata structure after the main house. Its firm date of 1904 also suggests the formal frontage was completed after the main house, which is dated more broadly to the middle Meiji period.
A Gate between a Storeroom and Living Quarters
The passage through the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate runs through the middle. The east side is a storeroom and the west side a living room, which Minamiawaji City says housed servants.
Vertical boards clad the lower walls, with latticed windows above them. Because the eaves wrap around beneath the big hip-and-gable roof, the long low building carries a heavy roofline that gives it real presence. Standing in front, you would see the band of boarding and lattice running the full 17 meters.
Visiting the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
This is the gate of a private home. Visitors cannot pass through it, and the rooms inside are not open.
Although the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate faces the front of the compound, we could not confirm how much of it is visible from the lane outside. If you look from outside, do not linger in the gateway or block anyone coming and going.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built?
- The national database dates it to 1904.
- How large is the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is a single-story timber building 17 meters long and 5.9 meters deep, with a building area of 100 square meters.
- What is on either side of the passage in the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- A storeroom on the east and a living room on the west, which Minamiawaji City says was used by servants.
- Why is the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on January 26, 2011, for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a building that gives the residence a dignified front.
- Can I visit the Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- No. It is the gate of a private home, and neither the grounds nor the rooms are open.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagata Family Residence Nagayamon Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 1493 Aza-Yoshinobo, Shitori Nagata, Minamiawaji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 26, 2011 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 17 m × 5.9 m; building area 100 m² |
| Owner | Private individual (blank in the national database; per Minamiawaji City) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 永田家住宅長屋門 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008541
- Minamiawaji City: 永田家住宅長屋門（ながやもん）
- https://www.city.minamiawaji.hyogo.jp/bunkaisan/bunkazai/r-87.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
