Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall: a refined back entrance
The Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall (蔵の郷土館齋理屋敷裏門及び塀) in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, are a timber gate and wall from the early Meiji period (1868–1882), registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011.
The rear gate opens on the west side of the compound between the Nariwai no Kura and the Sumai no Kura, with a timber wall running on from it. The Front Gate, wedged between two storehouses on the street, was the family's public face. This one handled the daily comings and goings at the back.
Why it was registered
The gate is a one-bay munamon, the simplest kind of roofed gate, with the roof set directly on two posts. Its roof is gabled and clad in copper, but the eave edge is built up from layers of thin wooden shingles, a technique borrowed from kokerabuki roofing, and the verge boards at the gable ends (keraba) are finished with equal care. The opening is 1.8 metres wide, closed by paired doors, and the northern leaf has a wicket door set into it.
The wall is timber too, with its own gabled copper cap, and runs 5.0 metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums up gate and wall as elegant. A merchant house that took this much trouble over its back door was not cutting corners anywhere.
What to look for
Look at the eave from the side. Beneath the copper, the stacked shingles show as fine horizontal stripes. The gable ends show the same layered, carefully trimmed work.
The wicket in the northern door lets one person through without swinging the gate open, and it is framed right into the door boards. With the white walls of two storehouses rising on either side, this small wooden gate gives the back of the compound a quiet finish.
Seeing the Rear Gate and Wall
The gate and wall are on the west side of the compound, inside the paid museum grounds. Cross the garden and head between the Sumai no Kura and the Nariwai no Kura. We could not confirm whether the gate is used as an entrance today, so plan to come and go through the reception in the Shop Storehouse.
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Q&A
- What kind of gate is the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate?
- A one-bay munamon gate with a gabled copper roof and shingle-built eaves, 1.8 metres wide, with a wicket door in the northern leaf.
- How long is the wall at the Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate?
- The timber wall, capped with a gabled copper roof, runs 5.0 metres.
- How old are the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall?
- They date from the early Meiji period (1868–1882) and were registered in 2011.
- Where are the Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall?
- On the west side of the compound, between the Nariwai no Kura and the Sumai no Kura.
- Can visitors see the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall?
- Yes, from inside the museum grounds, with Sairi Yashiki admission.
Basic Information
| Name | Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall (蔵の郷土館齋理屋敷裏門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 25 Machinishi, Marumori Town, Igu District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/1/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Rear gate: timber, copper roof, 1.8 metres wide; wall: timber, 5.0 metres long |
| Owner | Marumori Town |
| Public Access | Viewable from within the museum grounds (admission charged) |
References
- Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Rear Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs database, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008410
Last verified: 2026.09.24
