About the Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate
The Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate (宮澤家住宅腕木門, Miyazawa-ke Jūtaku Udegimon) is a timber udegimon, or bracket-arm gate, built around 1936 at 3042 Misato Akemori, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 1998. Sleeve walls totaling 5 meters extend to either side.
The gate stands to the right of the main house entrance and screens off the garden in front of the formal rooms. It is separate from the estate's front gate, the pair of stone posts; this one governs the way into the garden right in front of the house. It dates from about the same year as the main house and belongs to the same building campaign.
A Single-Plank Door and a Shachi on the Ridge
The Agency for Cultural Affairs classes the Miyazawa Udegimon Gate as a heijūmon, a gate whose posts stand in the line of the wall with the doors hung between them. Each door leaf is a single plank studded with chi-kanagu, rows of domed metal bosses that lend a gate formality.
A shachi, the mythical fish with a tiger's head used as a ridge ornament, sits on top. For a small gate, the one-piece doors, the bosses and the shachi add up to a weighty presence. The name udegimon refers to the "arm" brackets projecting from the posts to carry the eaves.
Sleeve Walls Turned Outward
Roofed Sodobei sleeve walls run off to each side of the Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate. The one-ken section next to the gate on each side is angled forward, opening out like a pair of arms. That leaves a small pocket of space in front of the doors, so the gate appears set back a step. The lower parts of the walls are clad in Shitami-itabari overlapping boards.
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency notes that, small as it is, the gate completes the front of the main house. With the gate and walls added beside the entrance, the house front does not stop at the door but carries on into the approach to the garden.
Seeing the Miyazawa Udegimon Gate
The Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate stands beside the main house entrance, inside the estate. No official information about public opening could be found as of September 2026, so you cannot walk up to it. No guidance on photography was found either.
It can only be seen from outside, looking toward the main house where the view allows. If you can see that far, the shachi on the ridge is the easiest detail to pick out.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagano
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate
- [ Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Hiking Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate built?
- Around 1936, about the same time as the main house.
- Where is the Miyazawa Udegimon Gate?
- To the right of the main house entrance, dividing off the garden in front of the formal rooms. It is not the estate's front gate.
- What are the notable features of the Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate?
- Single-plank doors with metal bosses, a shachi ridge ornament, and roofed sleeve walls whose sections beside the gate angle forward.
- When did the Miyazawa Udegimon Gate become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On September 2, 1998.
- Can I see the Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate up close?
- No. It is inside the estate and no public opening was found as of September 2026; it can only be viewed from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate (宮澤家住宅腕木門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3042 Misato Akemori, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 1998 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | With sleeve walls 5 m long (timber udegimon gate) |
| Owner | Miyazawa Hozen Co., Ltd. (宮澤保全有限会社) |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (inside the estate) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000769
- Cultural Heritage Online: Miyazawa Family Residence Udegimon Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/167348
Last verified: 2026.09.29
