A gate of 1899 on the northern edge of an Iizuka plot
Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (市塚章一家住宅長屋門) is a single-story gatehouse built in 1899 in the Iizuka neighborhood of Makabe, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and it was added to the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 July 2003.
A Nagayamon is not a gate in the narrow sense. It is a long, low building with a passage cut through the middle of it, the flanking wings given over to storage, tools or quarters for the household's staff. This one runs 16.5 meters along the lane, with a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The eaves are carried on a projecting purlin, a technique called degeta, and the rafters above are set well apart rather than packed close together.
The doorway at the center is the part the carpenter clearly cared about. Its frame is zelkova, a hard, close-grained timber that takes a fine finish and was reserved for work meant to be looked at. To the left and right of the opening the wall is white Shikkui plaster above a dado of Namako-kabe. The remaining stretches use Shinkabe, with the posts left visible in the wall surface.
Why the gate carries a national registration
The registration criterion recorded for Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate is contribution to the historic landscape of the country. That is a statement about the street rather than about the building alone, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs entry says as much: the gate forms the core of the streetscape along the northern side of the property. The same entry notes that among the gatehouses of Makabe, this is the only one with namako-kabe.
Makabe is worth understanding as a whole here. The town grew up beside Makabe Castle, became a rural market center under Kasama domain, and made its money first on cotton and later on rice and sake brewing. A fire in 1837 pushed builders away from thatch and toward tile, plaster and storehouse construction, and the Meiji period brought a building boom. Sakuragawa City records around 100 registered properties in and around the town, the result of a deliberate municipal push that began in 1999. In 2010 the core of the town, some 17.6 hectares, was selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
Registration under the Registered Tangible Cultural Property scheme is lighter than designation. It asks the owner to notify the authorities before altering the exterior, and in exchange it puts a building of this kind on the national record. For a working farm gate still attached to a working house, that is a workable arrangement.
What to look for from the lane
Namako-kabe is the detail that repays a stop at Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate. Square tiles are pinned flat to the wall and the joints between them are built up in raised ridges of white plaster, producing a diagonal grid that catches low sun and throws its own shadows. The name refers to the profile of those joints, which was thought to resemble a sea cucumber. It is a coastal and castle-town technique, used because it protects a wall base from rain splash, and it is unusual on a farm gate this far inland.
Then step back and take the whole 16.5 meters at once. The building is long and deliberately low, and the eaves line runs almost unbroken from end to end. Spaced rafters leave gaps of shadow under the overhang. The white plaster panels beside the doorway read as bright rectangles against darker boarding, which is why the gate anchors the view along this lane rather than sitting quietly in it.
Condition is part of the story in Makabe. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake struck the preservation district harder than any comparable district in Japan, and the city reports that more than nine tenths of its traditional buildings were damaged. Repair work has run for years since, often combining earthquake recovery with ordinary restoration.
Visiting Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
This is a private house that people live in. Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate is viewed from the public lane in front of it, and there is no admission, no opening hours and no interior visit. Do not step through the gate or onto the plot, and keep cameras pointed at the building rather than at the household. Photography from the road is not restricted.
Getting to Makabe takes a little planning, because the railway that once served the town closed in 1987. The nearest station is Iwase on the JR Mito Line, about 15 minutes away by taxi. Rental bicycles are available at Iwase Station and the ride is roughly 10 kilometers, about 60 minutes. The Sakuragawa city bus, the Yamazakura GO, links Iwase Station with Makabe and continues to Tsukubasanguchi. By car, allow about 20 minutes from the Sakuragawa-Chikusei interchange on the Kita-Kanto Expressway.
One date worth knowing: for a month from early February the town holds its hina doll display, and in 2026 it ran from 4 February to 3 March. Traffic controls apply in the center on the busiest weekends, so the lanes near the gate are easier to walk then and harder to drive.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ibaraki
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- [ Hitachi Seaside Park Nemophila Flower Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- No. It belongs to a private residence in daily use, and only the exterior can be seen, from the lane running past the north side of the plot.
- Is there an admission fee or a set opening time for Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- Neither. Because the gate is looked at from a public road, there is nothing to pay and no gate hours, though daylight obviously helps if you want to see the plasterwork.
- When was Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built, and when was it registered?
- It dates from 1899, in the Meiji era, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 July 2003.
- What makes Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate different from the other gates in Makabe?
- The namako-kabe dado. The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry records it as the only gatehouse in Makabe finished with that tile-and-plaster lattice.
- How do I reach Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate by public transport?
- Take the JR Mito Line to Iwase Station, then a taxi of about 15 minutes, or the Yamazakura GO city bus toward Makabe. A rental bicycle from Iwase covers the 10 kilometers in about 60 minutes.
Basic Information
| Name | Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (市塚章一家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | Iizuka, Makabe-cho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 16.5 meters, building area 75 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Exterior only, seen from the lane in front. Interior not open |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003376
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ichizuka Shoichi Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/179596
- Sakuragawa City: Makabe Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/education/bunkazai/city_bunkazai/kuni_bunkazai/page003423.html
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Makabe Preservation District, Sakuragawa City
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-8557/
Last verified: 2026.09.05