The Second Gate, Leading to the Family Entrance
The Former Morita Family Residence Side 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 2.0 metres wide under a tiled roof.
It stands towards the western end of the compound's south side. Like the front gate at the eastern end it is a single bay Yakuimon, and it leads from the road to the family's own entrance rather than the formal one. Guests came through the front gate; the household came through this one.
Two gates on one frontage, built to the same type but not to the same standard, is a plan that puts social rank straight into the ground.
The Plainer Half of a Pair
The registration criterion was contribution to the historic landscape. The national database notes that although the members are slender and the work simple throughout, the gate forms the scene along the south side of the compound together with the front gate and the earthen wall.
That concessive phrasing carries the whole argument. Taken alone, the Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate is not an accomplished piece of carpentry. Its timbers are thin and it has no set piece of design. Placed between the front gate and the wall, it completes an unbroken frontage, and only with all three present does the south side read as a warrior household's boundary.
Its register number is 39-0313, close to the front gate's 39-0311, though a clear step below it in rank.
Vertical Boarding and a Latticed Slider
The difference from the front gate shows most clearly in how the opening is filled. On the Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate the western side is boarded vertically and closed off, while the eastern side takes a sliding latticed door. The front gate hangs a pair of solid leaves; this one neither opens the same way nor looks the same. Lattice passes some light and some line of sight, so even shut the gate lets you sense what lies behind it.
The roof is gabled and laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The front gate's roof is given a slight convex curve; no such curve is recorded for this one. Even at roof level the two are handled differently.
Slender timbers give the gate a light outline. Stand at the front gate, walk west along the wall, and stop here: the same gate type, sized differently, produces a completely different impression. Seeing the two in sequence is how this compound is meant to be read.
Seeing the Side Gate
The Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate faces the road on the south side of the compound, so its exterior can be seen freely. Follow the earthen wall west from the front gate and it is at the end of that run. The gate cannot be passed; the grounds beyond are normally closed.
No restriction on photographing the exterior from the road has been posted. For access to the grounds, contact the Cultural Promotion and Protection Section of the Konan City Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division, telephone 0887-54-2296. The lane is narrow, so do not leave a car standing in it.
Directions 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 Side Gate, and is there an admission fee?
- It faces the public road on the south side of the compound, so the exterior can be seen at any time and no fee or opening hours apply. You cannot pass through it, as the grounds beyond are normally closed.
- How does the Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate differ from the front gate?
- Both are single bay yakuimon, but the side gate uses slender timbers and simpler work, and its 2.0 metre opening is narrower than the front gate's 2.4 metres. The front gate received guests; the side gate led to the family's own entrance.
- How is the opening of the Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate filled?
- The western side is boarded vertically and closed, and the eastern side takes a sliding latticed door. The front gate, by contrast, hangs a pair of hinged leaves.
- When was the Former Morita Family Residence Side 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 Side Gate registered?
- As a contribution to the historic landscape. Despite its plain construction it completes the south frontage of the compound alongside the front gate and the earthen wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Morita Family Residence Side 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 2.0 metres |
| Owner | Konan City |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Exterior visible from the road on the south side |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Former Morita Family Residence Side Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014970
- 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
