The Gate of a Steward's Household
Fubokaku Gate (不忘閣門, Fubōkaku-mon) is a timber Munamon gate on the eastern edge of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn at Aone Onsen in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, built in the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014.
Its opening is a generous 2.7 metres wide. The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable; the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as metal-sheet roofing, and the structure field of its database gives sheet iron. Short Sodobei wing walls flank the gate, and a Kugurido wicket door opens on the south side.
The Agency does not class the Fubokaku Gate as a building but as an "other structure". It is the only one of the seven registered Fubokaku properties in that category.
The Frontage of the Sato Family
According to the Agency, the Fubokaku Gate carries the lineage of the Sato family, heads of the household who served the Date lords as yu-betto, and forms part of a dignified residential frontage. A yu-betto was the steward entrusted with the lord's hot-spring retreat.
The frame is simple. A thick crossbeam, the kabuki, spans two stout posts; a short ridge strut and bracket arms carry the roof. A munamon is a modest type of gate with a single pair of posts, but the heavy posts and crossbeam give this one the weight of a residence's formal entrance rather than the doorway of an inn.
It was registered under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape. For a structure as recent as the early Showa period, registration reflects its role in shaping the frontage of the compound more than its age.
What to Look For
Facing the gate, look first at the thickness of the posts and the depth of the crossbeam. The crossbeam gives the gate its face, and above it the ridge strut lifts the ridge.
Under the eaves, bracket arms project forward and back from the posts to carry the overhang. Then follow the wing walls to their ends and find the wicket door on the south side: a small door for people to pass without opening the main leaves, which says something about how the household used its entrance day to day.
Visiting the Gate
Because the Fubokaku Gate stands on the eastern edge of the site, it is easy to see from outside the grounds. Beyond it lies the working inn, which is not open to people who are not staying.
If you photograph it from outside, stand clear of the entrance so as not to block arriving guests or vehicles.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fubokaku Gate
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Fubokaku Gate built?
- In the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945, which makes it one of the more recent of the seven registered Fubokaku structures.
- What kind of gate is the Fubokaku Gate?
- A munamon carried on two posts, with a gabled roof, wing walls on both sides and a wicket door on the south side. The opening is 2.7 metres wide.
- Why was the Fubokaku Gate registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a gate that carries the lineage of the Sato family, stewards of the Date lords' hot spring, and forms part of a dignified residential frontage.
- Can I see the Fubokaku Gate without staying at the inn?
- Yes, from outside: it stands on the eastern edge of the site. The grounds beyond belong to a working inn, so please do not enter unless you are a guest.
- When was the Fubokaku Gate registered as a cultural property?
- On 19 December 2014, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property with registration number 04-0103.
Basic Information
| Name | Fubokaku Gate (不忘閣門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aone Onsen, Kawasaki Town, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building, other structure), registration no. 04-0103 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, sheet-iron roof, opening 2.7 metres, with wing walls on both sides |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from outside the grounds; grounds open to overnight guests only |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Fubokaku Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010253
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fubokaku Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/211117
- Miyagi Prefecture: registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, 19 December 2014 (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku-toushin.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
