Yoshimura Family Residence West Gate and South Wall

A Gate Set Back from the Street

Yoshimura Family Residence West Gate and South Wall (吉村家住宅西門及び南塀, Yoshimura-ke Jūtaku Nishimon oyobi Minamibei) is a mid-Meiji wooden gate and wall, dating from 1883 to 1897, that closes off the western half of the street front of the Yoshimura Family Residence in Kawashiri 4-chome, Minami-ku, Kumamoto City. It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on August 6, 2025. The gate is 1.7 meters wide with short flanking wing walls, and the south wall runs to a total of 15 meters.

Both stand along the street on the south side of the compound. The Yoshimura west gate is recessed back from the street line, and the south wall extends to either side.

Copper Eaves and a Double Set of Doors

The gate has a gabled roof of pantiles, turned Hirairi-style so that its long side faces the street. Only the eaves edge is sheathed in copper, a thin metal lip at the end of the tile courses.

In the opening hang two layers of doors: a pair of sliding lattice doors and a pair of hinged board doors. With the lattice shut, light and air still pass; with the boards shut, the gate is closed.

Kumamoto Prefecture's announcement of the listing calls the west gate an Udekimon, a gate whose roof rests on bracket arms. The Agency for Cultural Affairs simply calls it a gate, so this site does not commit to the type.

Boards Outside, Cedar Bark Inside

The south wall also carries a pantiled roof over plastered walls. Its lower section is faced differently on each side: vertical boards on the street face, cedar bark on the inner face toward the house. Passers-by see white plaster over neat vertical planks; the family saw the rough texture of bark from the garden.

The Yoshimura Family Residence West Gate and South Wall holds registration number 43-0211 and was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency values the pair for the calm, understated front they give the house. The east gate at the other end of the frontage is 1.4 meters wide, so the west gate is the broader of the two.

Seeing the Yoshimura West Gate and South Wall

Because the Yoshimura Family Residence West Gate and South Wall face the street, their exterior can be seen from the public road. Stand in front of the gate to pick out the copper eaves edge, the lattice doors and the vertical boards along the base of the wall. The inner, bark-faced side is within the grounds and cannot be seen.

The compound is a private home and the gate is not open to visitors. Photograph from the public road without disturbing residents or traffic.