The Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Front Gate: A Gate That Mixes Its Types
A short distance from the Masubuchi shop, at a separate address in Makabe, stands the residence of the Masubuchi Hiroichi family. This is a different household from the Masubuchi family whose shop and gate sit at number 396. Here, at number 412, the property is recorded through two of its structures, and the front gate is the one that faces the street.
The gate turns west onto the road that runs toward the Sakurai district. It dates from the early Showa era, is built of wood with a pantiled roof, and has a frontage of about 2.7 meters. Small in scale, it is one of the more curious gates in a town already known for them.
Why It Is a Registered Cultural Property
The gate was registered as a national tangible cultural property on July 12, 2005, and announced on August 2 that year, with registration number 08-0188. As with the other buildings in the district, the criterion is contribution to the historical landscape of the nation.
Makabe has sometimes been called a place to study gates. A merchant town that filled its lots with formal entrances, it holds gate after gate in a range of forms, and the Masubuchi Hiroichi gate stands out for refusing to settle on a single one.
What to Look For
The structure repays a careful reading. Behind each main post stands an inner support post, tied to it by a horizontal nuki and a beam. On the crossbar above the main posts, called the kabuki, a short strut rises to carry the ridge beam. From the posts, arm-ties project outward to receive the eaves purlin.
Each of these devices belongs to a recognized gate type. The ridge-carrying structure recalls a munamon, the paired main and support posts recall a yakuimon, and the projecting arm-ties recall an udegimon. The Masubuchi Hiroichi gate combines all three into one design, an eclectic solution that reads as the work of a builder thinking freely rather than following a template.
The gate is part of a private residence and is not open to the public. Standing on the street, you can trace how its parts fit together, which is where most of its interest lies.
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Q&A
- Is this the same Masubuchi family as the shop and nagayamon?
- No. The shop and nagayamon belong to the Masubuchi family at 396 Makabe. This gate belongs to the separate Masubuchi Hiroichi family at 412 Makabe.
- What makes the gate distinctive?
- It blends three gate types in one structure: the ridge support of a munamon, the paired posts of a yakuimon, and the projecting arm-ties of an udegimon.
- When was it built?
- It dates from the early Showa era and was registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2005.
- Can I go inside the property?
- No. It is a private residence. The gate can be viewed from the public street within the preservation district.
Basic Information
| Name | Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Residence Front Gate (Masubuchi Hiroichi-ke Jutaku Omotemon) |
|---|---|
| Location | 412 Makabe, Makabe-machi, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registration no. 08-0188) |
| Registered | July 12, 2005 (announced August 2, 2005) |
| Count | 1 building |
| Date | Early Showa era |
| Structure | Wooden construction, tiled roof, frontage about 2.7 meters |
| Access | Within the Makabe Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings; exterior viewable from the street. Interior not open to the public. |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties — Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Residence Front Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004703
- Sakuragawa City — Makabe 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 — Sakuragawa Makabe Preservation District
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-8557/
Last verified: 2026.07.02