About the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate
The Nagata Family Residence Service Gate (永田家住宅通用門, Nagata-ke Jūtaku Tsuyomon) is a small gate built in the middle Meiji period (1883 to 1897) against the east side 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 divides the front yard from the inner yard.
The structure combines a gateway and a storeroom. It is a single-story timber building measuring 5.3 meters by 1.8 meters under a gabled hongawara tile roof, with a building area of 8.4 square meters, the smallest of the nine registered Nagata structures.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagata Family Residence Service Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says that, as the gate separating the front and inner yards, it gives the residence much of its character.
The nagayamon and munamon gates face the front and receive guests. The Nagata Family Residence Service Gate was for daily work. Minamiawaji City explains that rice and other goods were carted through it to the storehouse behind, so this modest gate records how the farm actually ran.
A Threshold Cut for Cartwheels
The gateway is on the west side of the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate: a pair of plank doors that open outward, one with a small wicket door. The east side is a storeroom.
Look down at the threshold. The long stone set beneath the doors has notches cut into it so that cartwheels could roll through; Minamiawaji City calls them cuts for horse-drawn carts. Since a wheel cannot step over a sill, the stone itself was carved away, a small trace that shows rice being moved through this gate.
Visiting the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate
The Nagata Family Residence Service Gate is attached to the main house of a private home and is not open to the public. It stands beyond the front yard, so the notched threshold cannot be seen from outside the plot.
Photographs on the Minamiawaji City cultural property page show the gate and its threshold.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nagata Family Residence Service Gate
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Q&A
- Where is the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate?
- It is attached to the east side of the main house of the Nagata Family Residence and separates the front yard from the inner yard.
- What was the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate used for?
- Everyday traffic. Minamiawaji City says rice and other goods were carried through it by cart to the storehouse behind.
- What are the notches in the threshold of the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate?
- Grooves cut into the stone sill so that cartwheels could pass through.
- How old and how large is the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate?
- It dates from the middle Meiji period, 1883 to 1897, and measures 5.3 meters by 1.8 meters, with a building area of 8.4 square meters.
- Can I visit the Nagata Family Residence Service Gate?
- No. It is part of a private home and is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagata Family Residence Service 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 | 5.3 m × 1.8 m; building area 8.4 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: 永田家住宅通用門 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008542
- Minamiawaji City: 永田家住宅通用門（つうようもん）
- https://www.city.minamiawaji.hyogo.jp/bunkaisan/bunkazai/r-88.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
