What Is the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate?
The Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate (小坂家住宅裏門, Kosaka-ke Jūtaku Uramon) is a timber gate built in the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) on the north side of the Kosaka homestead in the Murayama district of Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2019.
It links the farm equipment storehouse on the east with the rear warehouse on the west along the northern boundary. The tiled wooden gate is 3.6 m wide. Where the nagayamon gate on the east is the formal entrance, the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate was the back door of the compound.
Why It Was Registered
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a structure that conveys how the household once lived.
Guests were received at the grand front gate; daily comings and goings, to the fields and elsewhere, used a separate gate at the back. The Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate records that division of front and back in a farming household.
What to Look For: A Roof Without Rafters
The gate stands at the eastern end of the opening, close to the farm equipment storehouse, and takes the form of a one-bay udegimon: brackets project from the posts to carry the eave beam of a small gabled roof.
Look at the underside of the roof. The Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate uses no rafters; instead, finished boards are laid directly and pantiles set on top. The soffit shows a clean plane of timber rather than the usual row of rafters, which gives the gate a light, spare appearance.
To the west, a sleeve wall of vertical boards closes the gap to the rear warehouse, so gate, wall and storehouse form one continuous line along the back of the property.
Visiting the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate
The Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate is the back entrance of a private home and cannot be used by visitors. It stands on the north side and cannot be seen from the front gate. Viewing is limited to what is visible from the surrounding lanes; please do not block the gate, which remains a working entrance.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate
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Q&A
- When was the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912).
- What type of gate is the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate?
- A one-bay udegimon, in which brackets from the posts carry the eave beam of a gabled roof; a board sleeve wall links it to the rear warehouse.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate?
- It has no rafters; finished boards are laid directly beneath the pantiles.
- Can I walk through the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate?
- No. It is the back entrance of a private home and can only be viewed from outside.
- When was the Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate registered?
- It was registered on December 5, 2019, under registration number 20-0548.
Basic Information
| Name | Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 282 Ichinoguchi, Oaza Murayama, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Frontage 3.6 m |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior viewable from outside the property) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Kosaka Family Residence Rear Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013103
- Nagano City: List of Nationally Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/n151100/contents/p002914.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
