About the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall
The Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (旧三浦家住宅表門及び塀, Kyū Miura-ke Jūtaku Omotemon oyobi Hei) is a timber gate and wall of the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) in Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, entered on the register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 25, 2016. It lines the south edge of the Miura property along the street: the gate stands at the east end, beside the shop, and the wall runs west from it.
The gate is an Udekimon 1.8 meters wide, braced from behind by Hikaebashira support posts. The wall is seven bays long, 9.3 meters in total. Both carry small roofs of sangawara pantiles. The gate is the way in from the street to the entrance of the main house.
Why It Was Registered
The Miura Front Gate and Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs cites a gate of fine keyaki (zelkova) timber, a wall footing of stones fitted in a tortoiseshell pattern, and horizontal windows in the wall set with decorative bars given a nagura finish, and says the careful work throughout gives the south side of the property a handsome street front.
From the south street you see the black shop on the corner, then the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall running west, with the main house behind. Gate and wall present the shop, where business was done, and the main house, where the family lived, to the street as one merchant's compound.
The sources differ in places. The Susaki Machikado Gallery describes the gate as a yakuimon and gives the wall's length as 8.1 meters; this article follows the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, which records an udekimon and a wall 9.3 meters in total length.
What to Look For
A zelkova bracket gate
An udekimon is a simple gate whose roof beams rest on arms projecting sideways from the posts. At the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall the gate posts and boards are of fine keyaki, and the doors swing inward. Photographs on the gallery's site show the roof framing of the gate and the wainscot boards standing on the foundation stones.
The tortoiseshell footing
The wall stands on a footing of stones dressed to roughly hexagonal shapes and fitted together like the plates of a tortoise shell. A gallery photo caption identifies the gate's foundation stones as chert, a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock.
Adze-textured window bars
The wall is pierced by long horizontal windows fitted with decorative bars. Their surfaces have a nagura finish, left with the rippling facets of an adze rather than planed smooth. The gallery describes these openings as windows with clipped corners. It is a lot of care for a window in a boundary wall.
Visiting
The Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall faces the street, so its exterior can be seen from the south road at any time (checked September 27, 2026). Whether you can pass through the gate to the main house entrance depends on the Susaki Machikado Gallery's opening hours and instructions.
Stand close to the wall to see the nagura bars and the stonework of the footing. After viewing the gate from the front, go round to the inner side if you are allowed, to see how the brackets and support posts are joined. The wall is right on the road, so watch for traffic while looking or taking pictures. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Miura Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When were the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates them to the Taisho era, 1912 to 1926.
- What type of gate is the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate?
- According to the agency's database, an udekimon (bracket gate) 1.8 meters wide with support posts behind it, built of fine keyaki timber. The gallery describes it as a yakuimon.
- How long is the wall of the Former Miura Family Residence?
- The agency's database records a timber wall seven bays long, 9.3 meters in total length.
- What should I look for at the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall?
- The keyaki gate, the tortoiseshell stone footing of the wall, and the adze-finished bars in the long wall windows.
- Can I see the Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall at any time?
- Yes. They face the street, so the exterior can be seen from the south road at any time.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (旧三浦家住宅表門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1763 Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 39-0288 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 25, 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tile roof, 1.8 meters wide / Wall: timber, tile roof, 9.3 meters in total length |
| Owner | Susaki City |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street at all times |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Miura Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011008
- Former Miura House (Susaki Machikado Gallery, in Japanese)
- https://machikado-gallery.com/miuratei/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
