The Front Gate of the Estate
The Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate (畠中家住宅本門, Hatanaka-ke Jūtaku Honmon) is a timber gate built in 1886 at the centre of the south boundary of the Hatanaka family estate in Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010. It is 4.0 metres wide, and the registration also covers its flanking walls and the stone bridge in front of it.
This is the estate's front door, and with the guardhouse in the south-west corner it makes up the formal frontage. The roof is tiled, and its ridge carries the same seigaiha wave decoration as the guardhouse.
A Gate With a Sliding Door
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls unusual about the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate is its door. A Todobukuro pocket at the west end of the opening lets the door slide sideways and disappear into it, much like a storm shutter.
The frame is sturdy. Main posts stand at each side of the 4.0-metre opening, tied at the top by a Kabuki crossbeam, and five rows of brackets project front and back to carry the eave beams and the roof. Each main post has Hikaebashira support posts in front and behind, linked by Nuki tie beams to keep the gate from racking. The criterion is a contribution to the historic landscape.
Eaves, Brackets and the Stone Bridge
The roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles over a single layer of widely spaced rafters, a plain eave known as hitonoki mabara-daruki, with the ends of the five brackets lined up beneath it. Stand in front of the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate and count them.
A board fence adjoins the gate, and a stone bridge leads up to it. Bridge, gate, flanking fence and guardhouse together make up the south front.
Visiting
The Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate is on the south boundary, so its exterior can be seen from the road. The Hatanaka Family Residence is a private home, however, and you cannot walk through the gate.
Please do not stand on the stone bridge or touch the door and its pocket; this is the gate of a private home.
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Q&A
- What is unusual about the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate?
- Its door slides sideways into a pocket at the west end of the opening instead of swinging open. The national record describes this as an unusual construction.
- When was the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate built and registered?
- It was built in 1886 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010.
- How is the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate constructed?
- Main posts 4.0 metres apart are tied by a crossbeam, five rows of brackets carry the eave beams, support posts front and back are linked by tie beams, and the pantiled roof has a wave-pattern ridge.
- What does the registration of the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate include?
- The gate itself, the flanking walls and the stone bridge in front.
- Can I visit the Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate?
- You can see its exterior from the road on the south, but it is a private home and you cannot enter. Please keep off the bridge and do not touch the door.
Basic Information
| Name | Hatanaka Family Residence Main Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 633 Higashitakazono, Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/4/28 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 structure (counted as 1 building in the register) |
| Dimensions | Timber gate, tiled roof, opening 4.0 metres, with flanking walls and stone bridge |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from the road only) |
References
- 畠中家住宅本門 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008212
Last verified: 2026.09.27
