A Concrete Gateway
The Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall (西岡家住宅門及び塀, Nishioka-ke Jūtaku Mon oyobi Hei) is the early Showa reinforced concrete gate and wall that form the street front of the Nishioka family's property in Yasuda, Yasuda Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007. Gate and wall together count as a single structure.
The gate of the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall stands in front of the main house, set a little back from the road. It consists of a pair of square posts whose tops are shaped like a stone Coping stone coping. The wall, also reinforced concrete, runs 7.0 metres.
Why It Was Registered: Curving Wing Walls
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights is the shape of the Sodobei, the wing walls on either side of the gate. They sweep forward from the posts in arcs and join the wall along the street. Because the gate is recessed, the curving walls wrap a small forecourt in front of it.
Rather than a simple opening in a straight wall, the Nishioka gate draws visitors in along a curve, and this frontage has become the face of the property. Like the other four parts, it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Stone Forms in Concrete
The Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall dates from the early Showa era, when reinforced concrete was beginning to reach provincial towns. The capped posts read as a stone gateway translated into the new material, a fresh frontage added before a main house of about 1887.
The record gives two slightly different figures for the gate opening: 2.0 metres in the structure field and 1.9 metres in the descriptive text. The basic information below uses the structure field.
Visiting
The Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall faces the road on the east and is the easiest of the five parts to see. Without entering, you can take in the posts, the curve of the wing walls and the point where they meet the street wall.
Everything inside the gate is private ground, so please do not step through it or block the forecourt.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall built and registered?
- The national record dates it to the early Showa era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007.
- What is the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall made of?
- Reinforced concrete. The gate has 2 square posts with tops shaped like stone coping.
- What is distinctive about the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall?
- The wing walls curve forward from the gate in arcs to meet the wall along the street, creating a small forecourt.
- How big is the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall?
- The gate opening is 2.0 metres (1.9 metres in the descriptive text), and the wall is 7.0 metres long.
- Where can I see the Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall?
- From the road on the east, without entering the property. The area inside the gate is private.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishioka Family Residence Gate and Wall (西岡家住宅門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1807 Yasuda, Yasuda-cho, Aki-gun, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/2 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gate: 2 reinforced concrete posts, opening 2.0 metres / Wall: reinforced concrete, 7.0 metres long |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Exterior from the road only (grounds not open) |
References
- 西岡家住宅門及び塀 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006349
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Kochi Prefecture
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
