A Four-Legged Gate on the Street
The Hattori Family Residence Front Gate (服部家住宅表門) is the front gate of a rice merchant's house of about 1937 in Kosugi-cho, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber gate with a tiled roof, 1.6 metres wide; registration number 24-266.
A Four-Legged Gate on the Street
The Hattori Family Residence Front Gate stands on the road along the north side of the plot (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a rather tall gabled gate under a tile roof, of the four-legged (shikyakumon) type, with lattice doors that slide apart in the central opening.
In a four-legged gate, the two main posts are braced front and back by supporting posts, four in all. The Agency gives the opening as 1.6 metres wide; Mie Prefecture's summary of the registration gives 1.55 metres.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. Yokkaichi City adds that this four-legged gate gives the house a dignified face to the street and helps to create a calm streetscape.
What to Look For
Look at the wall and dado finishes (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The walls are rendered egg-yolk yellow in the manner of Otsu plaster, and the dado below is a single wide board of cedar.
Above the opening, a curved timber like a small beam caps the panel of wall, and the transom uses umoregi, wood that lay for a long time underground or under water and darkened there, long prized in sukiya joinery (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The gate is narrow, but its materials were chosen with care.
Visiting
The Hattori Family Residence Front Gate faces the road and is the easiest of the four buildings to see. It is the entrance to a private home, so please do not linger at the lattice doors or look in through the gate.
Q&A
- When was the Hattori Family Residence Front Gate built?
- In about 1937 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What type of gate is the Hattori Family Residence Front Gate?
- A gabled, tile-roofed four-legged gate with sliding lattice doors in the central opening (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for at the Hattori Family Residence Front Gate?
- The egg-yolk yellow walls, the single cedar board of the dado, the curved timber above the opening and the umoregi in the transom.
- Can I see the Hattori Family Residence Front Gate?
- It faces the road and can be seen from there, but it is the entrance to a private home.
- When was the Hattori Family Residence Front Gate registered?
- On March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hattori Family Residence Front Gate (服部家住宅表門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 604 Kosugi-cho, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/03/29 (Heisei 31) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 1.6 m wide |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Hattori Family Residence Front Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012750
- Hattori Family Residence Main House, Barn, Storehouse and Front Gate (Yokkaichi City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokkaichi.lg.jp/www/contents/1542592489487/index.html
- Summary of newly recommended registrations (Mie Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/common/content/000806950.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.20
