The Small Gate to the Garden
The Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate is a timber gate of the late Meiji era, built between 1898 and 1912 at Usaida in Noichicho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture, and registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 6 March 2024. The opening is 1.8 metres wide and the roof is laid in copper sheet.
It stands south east of the Shikidai entrance of the main house and gives onto the garden that opens to the east. The form is a single bay Munamon, a gate whose ridge rests directly on two main posts with no rear struts at all, so its framing logic differs from the yakuimon used at the front and side gates.
At 1.8 metres it is the smallest of the six registered structures, and the one furthest inside the compound.
The Gate That Closes the Folded Approach
The registration criterion was contribution to the historic landscape. The national database ties the reasoning to position: the gate stands on the Masugata route that runs from the front gate to the shikidai entrance, and it shapes the character of the grounds.
A masugata is a path deliberately bent at right angles rather than driven straight, a device borrowed from castle entrances. Here the earthen wall turns after the front gate and steers the visitor towards the formal entrance, and the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate stands at the far side of that turn. Nothing is visible straight ahead when you enter. The eye stops and the direction of travel changes, and it is this handling of the approach that the listing recognises.
Its register number is 39-0312. With the front gate, the side gate and the earthen wall it makes up the samurai style frontage of the compound.
A Copper Roof and a Single Sliding Leaf
The roof is gabled, given a slight upward swell, and covered in copper sheet. It is the only copper roof among the six; everything else here is tiled. Copper is lighter than tile, which suits a munamon frame with no rear struts to help carry the load. Weathered copper also shifts colour as its patina develops, so the roof of the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate reads differently from the grey tile around it.
The two sides of the opening are treated differently. The southern side is boarded shut; the northern side takes a single sliding leaf. Compare that with the pair of hinged doors at the front gate and the intended use is obvious. Half the opening is closed off permanently, leaving a working doorway for everyday movement.
For a gate leading to a garden, that plainness reads as fitness for purpose rather than low status.
Seeing the Heijumon Gate
The Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate stands inside the compound, south east of the shikidai entrance, and does not face the road. It cannot be seen from the public way, and the grounds are normally closed.
To arrange a visit or to photograph the gate, contact the Cultural Promotion and Protection Section of the Konan City Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division, at the Cultural Properties Centre, telephone 0887-54-2296. The city ran an open session at the buildings on 3 February 2024 and announces any further openings itself.
Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Former Morita Family Residence page. Details confirmed on 13 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I see the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate from the road?
- No. It stands inside the compound and is screened from the public way. There are no opening hours or admission fee, since the site is not open on a regular basis. Contact the Konan City Board of Education on 0887-54-2296 to arrange access.
- What kind of gate is the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate?
- A single bay munamon, with the ridge resting directly on two main posts and no rear struts. The opening is 1.8 metres wide, and it leads from beside the main house entrance out into the eastern garden.
- Why is the roof of the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate covered in copper?
- It is the only copper roof among the six registered structures; the rest are tiled. Copper is lighter than tile, which suits the slender frame of a gate built without rear struts. The roof also carries a slight upward curve.
- When was the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate built?
- The national register places it in the late Meiji era, between 1898 and 1912. It was registered as a cultural property on 6 March 2024.
- Why was the Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate registered?
- As a contribution to the historic landscape. The reasoning rests on its place along the dog-legged approach from the front gate to the formal entrance of the main house.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 482-1 Kobayashidani, Usaida, Noichicho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 6 March 2024 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Frontage 1.8 metres |
| Owner | Konan City |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Enquire with the Konan City Board of Education to enter the grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Former Morita Family Residence Heijumon Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014969
- Kochi Prefecture: National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Cities 1 of 2
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2024031100056/
- Konan City: Former Morita Family Residence (birthplace of Morita Masatake)
- https://www.city.kochi-konan.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkaishogaigakushuka/rekishi_bunkazai/2/2582.html
- Konan City: Report to the 111th regular session of the Konan City Assembly
- https://www.city.kochi-konan.lg.jp/material/files/group/2/202403_syohann_houkoku.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.13
