A Gate Older Than the Museum
The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate (京都市美術館東門) is a stone gateway of the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) in Okazaki, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a granite gateway 3.9 metres wide; registration number 26-0602.
The Gate of the Exhibition Hall
The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate stands on the east side of the grounds: two gateposts set 3.9 metres apart (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was put up as the gate of the Kyoto Commercial Exhibition Hall, the forerunner of the museum, and so was here before the museum opened.
The posts are solid granite with chamfered corners and scroll ornaments on their sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Of the seven registered structures, it is the only one from the Meiji era.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, noting a design that recalls the Ionic order of classical architecture.
What to Look For
The scrolls on the sides of the posts call to mind the volutes of an Ionic capital (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Set it against the main gates of about 1933, reinforced-concrete posts 18 metres apart: the East Gate is solid stone and only 3.9 metres wide, and the difference in age shows in its form.
Visiting
The East Gate is an outdoor gateway on the east side of the grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate built?
- In the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate originally built for?
- As the gate of the Kyoto Commercial Exhibition Hall, the forerunner of the museum.
- What should I look for at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate?
- The Ionic-style scrolls carved on the sides of the granite posts.
- Where is the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate?
- On the east side of the museum grounds.
- When was the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate registered?
- On August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate (京都市美術館東門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 50 Okazaki Seishojicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/08/17 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Granite, 3.9 m wide |
| Owner | Kyoto City |
| Public Access | Outdoors on the east side of the site |
References
- Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art East Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013415
- Registration of the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art Main Building and Related Structures (Kyoto City press release, March 19, 2020, Japanese)
- https://kyotocity-kyocera.museum/wp-content/uploads/%EF%BC%88%E5%BA%83%E5%A0%B1%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99%EF%BC%89%E5%9B%BD%E7%99%BB%E9%8C%B2%E6%9C%89%E5%BD%A2%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E8%B2%A1%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E7%99%BB%E9%8C%B2.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.20
