Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate

About the Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate

The Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (間島家住宅長屋門, Majima-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is a Nagayamon gatehouse of the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) in Mure, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.

A nagayamon is a long building with a gateway through it, often used for storage or servants' rooms. This one stands south of the main house, toward the western end of the south side of the triangular estate, with its ridge running east to west. It is a single-story timber building of 138 square meters.

Why the Majima Nagayamon Gate was registered

It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its length of 22.3 meters and calls the Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate an indispensable part of the estate.

That is more than 4 meters longer than the 18-meter main house behind it. On the south side, the outer wall joins the gatehouse at both ends, so the building itself forms part of the estate boundary. Approached from the south, it is this long gate, not the house, that fills the view.

What to look for in the Majima Nagayamon Gate

The roof is in the Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable form and was originally thatched. The registration records it as thatch under temporary metal sheeting, the same condition as the main house when the two were registered. Both late Edo buildings belong to the same thatched tradition.

The gateway opens near the middle of the building. The lower walls are clad in vertical boards and the upper walls finished in white Shikkui lime plaster, so a band of timber and a band of white run the full 22 meters of the front.

On the back, facing into the estate, a tiled Geya lean-to roof is attached. The inner wall that runs from the entrance of the main house ends against this north face, closing off the line between the forecourt and the inner garden.

Visiting the Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate

The Majima Family Residence Nagayamon Gate belongs to a private home, and we found no notice that visitors may pass through it. It stands on the southern edge of the estate, but we could not confirm how much of it can be seen from the road. Please do not walk through the gateway; look only from outside.