Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall

What Is the Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall?

The Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall (河合家住宅露地門及び仕切り塀, Kawai-ke Jūtaku Rojimon oyobi Shikiribei) is a small garden gate and wall of the Taisho period (1912 to 1926) between the main house and the storehouse of the Kawai Family Residence in Ao Kajigamae, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, repaired in the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.

The Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall runs east to west in one line and divides the garden. The partition wall on the west is a Neribei earthen wall 3.0 m long, and at its east end, right beside the formal entrance (Shikidai) of the main house, stands the roji gate, a Udekimon bracket-roofed gate 1.4 m wide with a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof.

Why the Roji Gate and Partition Wall Was Registered

The Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is the roof of the gate: moso bamboo split in half and laid in an interlocking pattern, which it calls an unusual specification. It is the only one of the five registered structures not roofed in tile. Otokuni is well known for its bamboo, which makes the choice feel local, although the official description does not draw that connection.

What to Look For

The bamboo roof is the reason to know the Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate. Split lengthwise, a thick moso culm gives a channel-shaped piece like a small gutter. Laid alternately face up and face down, the lower pieces carry the rain while the upper ones cover the joints, the same principle as a roof of round and flat tiles.

The gate is small, only 1.4 m wide. An udekimon carries its roof on brackets projecting from the posts, a simple form, and its place beside the formal entrance suggests a way through to the garden separate from the main door.

The partition wall is built of kneaded earth and runs 3.0 m west from the gate toward the storehouse. The official description does not say which parts were affected by the early Showa repairs.

Visiting the Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall

The Kawai Family Residence Roji Gate and Partition Wall stands inside the estate, between the main house and the storehouse, and as part of a private home it is not open; no notice of public openings could be found as of October 2026.

Whether the bamboo roof of the gate can be seen from the road has not been confirmed. The layout of the whole estate and directions are on the Kawai Family Residence page.