What Is the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall?
The Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (旧平田家住宅中門及び塀, Kyū Hirata-ke Jūtaku Chūmon oyobi Hei) is a timber gate and wall built around 1885 in Chiyoda-cho, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 17, 2015. The gate is 1.8 meters wide and the wall runs for 13 meters in total.
The wall starts beside the Shikidai entrance porch of the main house and heads south to the former maids' quarters, with the gate set roughly in the middle. Gate and wall are registered together as one structure.
A Line Between Two Gardens
The job of the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall is to split the south side of the estate in two. On one side is the forecourt you enter from the granite gateposts, the space that leads visitors to the formal porch. On the other is the main garden, made to be looked at from the shoin's reception rooms. Arrival and hospitality, both on the same south-facing ground, are divided by 13 meters of wall.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a gate and wall that separate the two gardens and give the garden space a sense of rank. Press reports date the garden in front of the shoin, built by a gardener from Kyoto, to 1885, the same year as the gate. It seems the garden and its enclosure were finished as a single project, about a year after the shoin went up.
A Yakuimon Gate and a Clapboard Wall
The middle gate is a Yakuimon, with a gabled roof of pantiles. In this type the two main posts carrying the doors are backed by a second pair of posts behind them, and the gable roof spans all four. It was a favored gate for samurai houses and prosperous families.
The wall carries the same kind of gabled tile roof. Its upper part is white Shikkui plaster in the Shinkabe manner, with the posts left visible, and the lower part on the outer face is clad in sasarako clapboarding: overlapping horizontal boards held by notched vertical battens. The result is a band of dark boarding running under white plaster along the whole length, plain but carefully finished.
Seeing the Middle Gate and Wall
The Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall stands inside the estate and cannot be seen from the road. The seasonal openings cover the shoin and the garden, so there is a fair chance of seeing the wall and gate from the garden side, but we could not confirm if visitors walk through the gate itself.
Opening periods and directions are on the Former Hirata Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall built?
- Around 1885. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 17, 2015.
- How big is the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall?
- The gate is 1.8 meters wide and the wall is 13 meters long in total. Both are timber with tiled roofs.
- What does the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall divide?
- It separates the forecourt inside the gateposts from the main garden in front of the shoin, running from beside the main house porch to the former maids' quarters.
- What type of gate is the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate?
- It is a yakuimon, a gate with main posts backed by rear posts under a gabled pantile roof.
- Can I see the Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall?
- It is inside the estate and not visible from the road. It may be seen from the garden side during the seasonal openings of the shoin and garden, but the visitor route is unconfirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (旧平田家住宅中門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 941 Chiyodacho, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 24-0226 |
| Year Designated | Registered November 17, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tiled roof, 1.8 meters wide / Wall: timber, tiled roof, 13 meters in total length |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Normally closed (the shoin and garden of the estate open for limited periods) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010825
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hirata Family Residence Middle Gate and Wall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285400
- Former Hirata Family Residence Main House and 6 others (Yokkaichi City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokkaichi.lg.jp/www/contents/1001000002610/index.html
- Chunichi Shimbun, November 2025: shoin and garden open until December 9 (Japanese)
- https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/1169065
Last verified: 2026.09.27
