The Gate Inside the Estate
The Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate (畠中家住宅中門, Hatanaka-ke Jūtaku Nakamon) is a timber gate of 1886 set in the partition wall inside the Hatanaka family estate in Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010. The opening is 4.0 metres wide, and the partition wall on either side is included in the registration.
The partition wall runs north to south from the south-west corner of the main house to the guardhouse in the south-west corner of the plot, with the middle gate halfway along it.
Dividing the Front From the Work Yard
The job of the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate is to split the estate in two. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the partition wall clearly separates the approach from the main gate from the working yard to the west. The rice and clothing storehouse, the firewood shed and the tool storehouse all stand on the yard side, presumably reached through this gate.
With the main gate, the garden gate and the guardhouse, all from the same year of 1886, it is one of the structures that define how people moved around the estate. The criterion is a contribution to the historic landscape.
A Simplified Version of the Main Gate
The Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate has the same 4.0-metre opening as the main gate, with a main post at each side. But the posts are tied at the top by a Magusa lintel rather than the main gate's Kabuki crossbeam. Like the main gate it has five rows of brackets carrying the eave beams, and the national record describes it as a simplified form of the main gate.
The record mentions no Hikaebashira support posts and no Todobukuro door pocket for the middle gate. Silence in the record does not prove they are absent, but the way the two descriptions differ suggests more care went into the gate that faced the street.
The partition wall itself is a board fence with a tiled coping.
Visiting
The Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate stands inside a private home and is not open. From the road on the south it is hidden behind the main gate and the guardhouse, so expect at most a glimpse of its roof.
You cannot pass through the main gate to see it; the photographs in the national database are the reliable way to compare the two gates.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- Where is the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate?
- Halfway along the partition wall running from the south-west corner of the main house to the guardhouse, on the line between the approach and the western work yard.
- When was the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate built and registered?
- It was built in 1886 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010.
- How does the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate differ from the main gate?
- Both are 4.0 metres wide with five rows of brackets, but the middle gate's posts are tied with a lintel instead of a crossbeam. The national record calls it a simplified form of the main gate.
- What is the wall of the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate like?
- The partition wall is a board fence with a tiled coping that divides the approach from the work yard.
- Can I visit the Hatanaka Family Residence Middle Gate?
- No. It is inside a private estate that is not open, and it lies behind the main gate and guardhouse as seen from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Hatanaka Family Residence Middle 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 partition wall |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from the road only) |
References
- 畠中家住宅中門 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008213
Last verified: 2026.09.27
