A Meiji gate at the north edge of the plot
The Habutsu Family Residence Gate (土生都家住宅門, Habutsuke Jūtaku Mon) is a timber gate of the Meiji period at Makabe in Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, placed on the national list as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004.
It stands near the middle of the northern boundary of the property, opening onto Kamijuku-dōri. The opening measures 2.1 metres. Low wing walls run out to east and west, and the wicket door cut into the western wing wall lets people in and out without swinging the main leaves. Roof and wing walls are tiled, and the roof itself is Kirizuma-zukuri, gabled.
The form is a kōraimon. In this type the gabled roof sits on the two main posts, while each of the rear struts behind them carries its own separate small roof. Because the roofs are split rather than continuous, the sky opens above you as you pass through. Square posts are the usual choice, but the Habutsu Family Residence Gate uses round ones for both the main posts and the struts, with round timber on the front as well. Nothing about it is sharply edged.
Two kinds of gate on one street
Once the status rules of the Edo period fell away, the merchants of Makabe built gates in earnest. Most chose the Yakuimon type, where a single broad roof covers main posts and struts together. Sakuragawa City puts gates and board fences at the top of its list of what makes the townscape here distinctive, and the yakuimon is the reason.
The Habutsu Family Residence Gate belongs to that building wave but roofs itself differently. Walk Kamijuku-dōri and the two alternate: heavy single roofs pressing down, then a kōraimon where the roof breaks into three and daylight comes through. The Nemoto Clinic, diagonally opposite, has a kōraimon too, dated by the city to the Bunsei era of 1818 to 1830 and among the older gates in the town. The city walking map presents the two of them as a pair facing each other across the street.
The gate was registered under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the country, as number 08-0158 in the 44th round of registrations; the main house on the same plot, number 08-0157, was listed on the same day. The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry says the Habutsu Family Residence Gate shapes the historic character of Kamijuku-dōri together with that house and with the Nemoto gate across the way.
In 2010 some 17.6 hectares of Makabe were selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. More than 100 registered structures stand within it, the Habutsu Family Residence Gate among them.
Reading the gate
Start with the wing walls. They carry the line of the gate out to either side and mark where the household ends and the street begins. Tiled like the gate, they shed rainwater from the same height, so in wet weather the whole assembly drips in one continuous line.
The wicket in the western wing wall is the working door. The main leaves stay shut most of the time and people come and go through the small opening beside them. Seeing the Habutsu Family Residence Gate closed is seeing it as it normally is.
Then look closely at the posts. Round timber keeps the curve of the trunk it came from, and the grain moves across the surface in a way that a planed and chamfered post does not. The round member across the front behaves the same way. Modern gates assembled from sawn stock feel different under the eye.
The 2.1-metre opening registers once you stand in front of it. Two people abreast, not a cart or a carriage. As an entrance it is restrained, which is part of why it settles so easily into the run of walls and fences along the street.
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake damaged more than 90 per cent of the traditional buildings in Makabe, and tiled roofs and garden walls are among the first things to go in a quake. Around the Habutsu Family Residence Gate you can compare how neighbouring owners put theirs back.
Visiting the Habutsu Family Residence Gate
This gate belongs to a private house. You cannot pass through it, and the grounds behind it are not open. Viewing means standing on the public road on Kamijuku-dōri and looking at it from outside. The Sakuragawa City walking map asks visitors to enjoy the registered buildings from the street and to keep off private plots.
Photographs of the exterior from the road are welcome. Shooting through the wicket or into the property is not. The gate faces north, so early or late in the day gives easier light than the middle hours.
To arrive by public transport, change at Iwase Station on the JR Mito Line for the Sakuragawa city bus, Yamazakura GO, and get off at Kamijuku. Journey time runs about 20 to 35 minutes according to the service, the fare is a flat 200 yen, and transport IC cards are accepted. Drivers leave the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Sakuragawa-Chikusei and take Route 50 into Prefectural Route 41. The Takajomachi municipal car park at 279-1 Makabe, Makabe-cho serves the town centre.
The Makabe Hina Matsuri runs from 4 February to 3 March each year, with doll displays set out across the town. Traffic controls apply on the busier weekend days and the Kamijuku bus stop closes on some of them, so confirm the dates before fixing a visit to the Habutsu Family Residence Gate in that period.
Transport, fare and event details here were checked on 7 September 2026.
Q&A
- Can visitors walk through the Habutsu Family Residence Gate?
- No. It is the gate of a private house and the grounds are not open. You can view it from the public road on Kamijuku-dōri.
- What type of gate is the Habutsu Family Residence Gate?
- A kōraimon. The gabled roof rests on the two main posts, and each rear strut carries its own small roof. Both posts and struts are round rather than square. The opening is 2.1 metres wide, with tiled wing walls on either side and a wicket door in the western one.
- When was the Habutsu Family Residence Gate built and registered?
- It dates from the Meiji period. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004, the same day as the main house standing on the same plot.
- Is there another gate to see near the Habutsu Family Residence Gate?
- Yes. The Nemoto Clinic diagonally opposite has a kōraimon that the city dates to the Bunsei era, 1818 to 1830. The Sakuragawa City walking map treats it and the Habutsu Family Residence Gate as a pair facing each other across Kamijuku-dōri.
- How do I get to the Habutsu Family Residence Gate?
- Take the Yamazakura GO city bus from Iwase Station on the JR Mito Line and alight at Kamijuku, about 20 to 35 minutes for a flat 200 yen. By car, exit the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Sakuragawa-Chikusei, follow Route 50 and Prefectural Route 41, and park at the Takajomachi municipal car park.
Basic Information
| Name | Habutsu Family Residence Gate (土生都家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 75-2 Makabe, Makabe-cho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 8 November 2004 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof; opening 2.1 metres; wing walls to left and right |
| Owner | Private individual (no owner name recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Gate of a private residence; grounds closed. Exterior may be viewed from the public road on Kamijuku-dōri only. No entry to the plot |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Habutsu Family Residence Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004328
- Cultural Heritage Online: Habutsu Family Residence Gate
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/140098
- Sakuragawa City: Walking Makabe, registered cultural property map
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/data/doc/1487569963_doc_23_1.pdf
- 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
- Sakuragawa City: Yamazakura GO city bus service information
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/kurashi/koutsu/page005762.html
Last verified: 2026.09.07