The Gate
The Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate (旧鯵坂家住宅門) is the gate of a house compound of the late Meiji period (1898–1912) in Kaseda Takeda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 21, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber gate with a tile roof, 1.9 metres wide, with walls on either side; registration number 46-0108.
It opens at the southern end of the west side of the plot, directly on the city road (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Brackets Braced by Stone Posts
The Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate is a one-bay Udekimon, a gate whose roof rests on cantilevered beams, covered with a gabled roof of pantiles. Behind each main post stands a back post made of stone, and it is these stone posts that hold up the beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs), an arrangement the Agency calls distinctive.
Low flanking walls (Sodobei) step down on either side of the gate, and the walls running forward from their ends step down again, each under its own lower roof (Ochimune). Their footings are of cut tuff (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate for its contribution to the historic landscape, valuing the varied outline it makes as the roofs of the gate, its flanking walls and the walls beyond step down one after another above footings of cut stone.
What to Look For
Stand in front of the gate and look under the beams for the stone back posts behind the timber ones; that pairing of wood and stone is what the Agency calls distinctive.
Then step back to follow the roofline as it drops in three stages, from the gate to the flanking walls to the walls beyond. A Kanagawa University walking map suggests the gate may be older than the main house, though the Agency dates it to the late Meiji period.
Visiting
Because the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate stands on the city road, its street side can be seen from the road even while the compound is closed for works (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Minamisatsuma City). Whether you can pass through it will depend on the reopening arrangements.
Q&A
- Where is the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate?
- At the southern end of the west side of the plot, on the city road (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What type of gate is the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate?
- A one-bay gate with cantilevered beams under a gabled tile roof; stone back posts hold up the beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How wide is the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate?
- 1.9 metres, with flanking walls on both sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I see the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate?
- Its street side faces the city road and can be seen from there; the compound itself is closed until further notice for works.
- When was the Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate registered?
- On June 21, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate (旧鯵坂家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 17830-1 Shimo-Konosu, Kaseda Takeda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/06/21 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tile roof, frontage 1.9 m, with flanking walls |
| Owner | Minamisatsuma City |
| Public Access | Closed for works until further notice (street side visible from the city road) |
References
- Former Ajisaka Family Residence Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009692
- Notice on the works at the Former Ajisaka Family Residence (Minamisatsuma City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.minamisatsuma.lg.jp/living/oshirase/e044092.html
- Kaseda Fumoto walking map (Shimazaki Laboratory, Kanagawa University, Japanese)
- https://www.arch.kanagawa-u.ac.jp/lab/shimazaki_kazushi/shimazaki/Traditional%20buildings/120kasedafumoto/feature-kasedamachiaruki.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.08
