A Late-Edo Physician's Gate in Makabe
The Nemoto Clinic Gate (根本医院門, Nemoto iin mon) is a koraimon-style gate of the late Edo period in Makabe, Makabe-machi, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 8, 2004. It is the main gate of the Nemoto family of physicians and is privately owned.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a wooden, tile-roofed gate 2.7 m wide with flanking walls on both sides; its registration number is 08-0159. The Agency dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1867), while the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education says it is traditionally dated to the Bunsei era (1818 to 1830).
Why It Was Registered
The Nemoto Clinic Gate was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes it was built when the Nemoto family served as physicians to the lords of the Kasama domain, and values it as one of the buildings that shape the historic streetscape.
Sources name the street differently: the Agency calls it Kamijuku-dori, while Ibaraki Prefecture places the house on the north side of Shimojuku-dori, once the heart of Makabe.
What to Look For
According to the Agency and the prefecture, the gate stands near the middle of the south edge of the plot (west of centre, the prefecture says). It is a fairly simple koraimon: a pair of main posts, each with a supporting post behind it, and each pair covered by its own small tiled roof.
Black board walls extend east and west, and the east wall has a small wicket door. Both gate and walls are roofed in pantiles with the joints pointed in plaster (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The prefecture notes that the walls share the same vertical-lattice transom as the gate, suggesting they were built together.
Visiting the Nemoto Clinic Gate
The Nemoto Clinic Gate is privately owned, and its exterior can be seen from the street. The grounds beyond the gate are private, so do not enter. No official information on access or photography was found. The address is 202 Makabe, Makabe-machi, Sakuragawa City.
Q&A
- When was the Nemoto Clinic Gate built?
- The national record gives the late Edo period; Ibaraki Prefecture says it is traditionally dated to the Bunsei era (1818 to 1830).
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 8, 2004.
- What kind of gate is it?
- A koraimon with a supporting post behind each main post, each pair under its own small tiled roof, flanked by black board walls.
- Who were the Nemoto family?
- A family of physicians said to have served the lords of the Kasama domain; the gate is thought to date from that time.
- Can you visit the Nemoto Clinic Gate?
- You can see it from the street; the grounds beyond are private.
Basic Information
| Name | Nemoto Clinic Gate (根本医院門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 202 Makabe, Makabe-machi, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/11/8 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Wooden, tiled roof, 2.7 m wide, with flanking walls |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the street |
References
- Nemoto Clinic Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004329
- Nemoto Clinic Gate (Cultural Properties of Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education)
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6385/
Last verified: 2026.10.06