What Is the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
The Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (赤井家住宅長屋門, Akai-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) in Ueno-Shinobicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, is a single-story wooden gatehouse built in the late Edo period (1830 to 1867), registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2010.
A Nagayamon is a gate set into a long, low building with rooms or storage on either side of the passage. Samurai households and wealthy farmers used them as the public face of the property. This one faces east onto Nakanotachimachi-dori. It measures 15 meters long by 4.0 meters deep, with a building area of 61 square meters.
Of the five registered structures at the Akai Family Residence, the nagayamon is the oldest and the only one from the Edo period. The main house, storehouse, walls and tea room all date from the Meiji era or later.
Why It Was Registered
The Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its solid, imposing exterior and notes that it is one of the few surviving pieces of samurai housing in the former castle town of Ueno.
When the main house was rebuilt in the mid-Meiji years, the old gate was kept. That is why the street front here still reads as a samurai residence, something the Agency describes as rare in Ueno.
Seen from the street, the Akai nagayamon, the wall running north from it and the storehouse to the south form one continuous frontage. It is this east side that shows most clearly that Shinobicho was once a samurai quarter.
What to Look For
The roof is a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri form covered in pantiles, and the gable ends are finished with a Kitsure-goshi lattice. Lean-to roofs (Geya) extend from the south and west sides, so from inside the compound the eaves appear in two tiers.
On the street facade, the lower wall is sasarako shitami: horizontal clapboards held by notched vertical battens, a technique that throws a fine pattern of shadow across the wall. Above it the wall is finished in white Shikkui plaster.
The gate opening is set toward the north end. It has a pair of sliding plank doors and a pair of sliding lattice doors, with a narrow hinged side door beside them. At the south end, a projecting Degōshi lattice window breaks up the flat plank front.
Iga City's floor plan marks an exhibition room along the street edge, where the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate stands. The Edo-period exterior has been kept, while the interior serves as a display space.
Visiting
Because the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate fronts the street, you can see the exterior at any time. For a view of the full facade, cross to the far side of Nakanotachimachi-dori and look at it from a slight angle. The gable and its lattice are easiest to read from the north end, looking up.
You can walk through the gate into the grounds during the free viewing hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on Wednesdays and over the New Year break (December 29 to January 3). The exhibition room inside the gate is also rented out, so on some days it may be closed.
No official photography policy could be found. If you want to photograph inside the exhibition room, ask at the reception desk first.
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Q&A
- When was the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1867). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010.
- How large is the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is a single-story wooden building with a hip-and-gable pantile roof, 15 meters long and 4.0 meters deep, with a building area of 61 square meters.
- Why is the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate a registered cultural property?
- It was recognized for its imposing exterior and as one of the few surviving samurai-house structures in the old castle town of Ueno, contributing to the historic townscape.
- What details should I look for on the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- Look for the clapboard lower wall with notched battens, the white plaster above it, the projecting lattice window at the south end and the lattice in the gable.
- Can I go inside the Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- You can pass through the gate from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on open days. The rooms inside the gate serve as an exhibition space that is also rented out, so they may be closed on some days.
Basic Information
| Name | Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (赤井家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2491-1 Ueno-Shinobicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story wooden building, hip-and-gable pantile roof, building area 61 square meters (15 meters long, 4.0 meters deep) |
| Owner | Iga City |
| Public Access | Open (exterior from the street at any time; grounds free from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Wednesdays and December 29 to January 3) |
References
- Akai Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008301
- Heritage assessment of the Akai Family Residence (Iga City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000003/3149/syoken.pdf
- Floor plan of the Akai Family Residence (Iga City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000003/3149/heimennzu02.pdf
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property Akai Family Residence (Iga City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/0000003149.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
