A Street Gate Flanked by Massive Stones
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework (長井家住宅（梅屋）正門及び石積) are the street front of a compound in Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Mie Prefecture, built around 1931 (stone walls) and 1969 (gate) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 24, 2021. They open onto the road on the east side of the estate, just south of the East Storehouse.
The gate is set back about 3 meters from the road: a pair of square reinforced concrete posts 2.1 meters high carry double-leaf doors across an opening of 3.6 meters. From the gate, stone walls run north and south for 42 meters in total, topped with a hedge.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework were registered for contributing to the historic landscape. The council's report singles out the large stones on either side of the gate as the feature that catches the eye, and of all 12 registered properties this is the one every passer-by sees.
The two parts are nearly 40 years apart. The perimeter was walled in stone around 1931, and the gate was renewed with concrete posts around 1969. A postwar gate set into older stonework has kept the formal face of the estate intact.
What to Look For
Look at the size of the stones and how they are laid. This is nozura-zumi (Nozurazumi), large fieldstones stacked without dressing, with small stones packed into the gaps to lock the wall together. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the effect as imposing, and the hedge on top softens the gray mass.
Setting the gate about 3 meters back from the road creates a small forecourt in front of it, so the stone walls seem to draw inward toward the entrance and receive whoever arrives.
Visiting
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework can be seen from the road on the east and are the most visible part of the compound. The grounds beyond the gate are private: even if the gate is open, please do not enter or look inside.
Take photographs from the road without blocking traffic. Directions from the station are on the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) page.
Q&A
- When were the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework built?
- The stone walls date from around 1931 and the gate from around 1969.
- Can you see the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework from outside?
- Yes, from the road on the east. They are the most visible part of the compound, but you cannot go inside the gate.
- How large is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate?
- It has a pair of reinforced concrete posts 2.1 meters high with an opening of 3.6 meters, set back about 3 meters from the road.
- How is the stonework at the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) laid?
- Large undressed stones are stacked in the nozura-zumi manner and topped with a hedge, running 42 meters in total.
- Why were the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework registered?
- For contributing to the historic landscape, with the massive stone walls noted as creating an imposing street front.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework |
|---|---|
| Location | 2518 Yobisaki, Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Kitamuro-gun, Mie Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Main gate: reinforced concrete posts, opening 3.6 meters; stone walls: 42 meters in total length |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the road on the east) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Main Gate and Stonework
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013822
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new registrations, March 19, 2021 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93206101_04.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
