A Taishō-Era Gate Beside the Main House
Kato Sake Brewery Gate (加藤酒造門, Katō Shuzō Mon) is a Taishō-era gate in Omisaki, Ariake-cho, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 23, 2008. It is a single-bay Yakuimon gate, 2.5 meters wide, standing just west of the store and main house and facing north onto the street.
The Kato Sake Brewery Gate carries registration number 42-0076 and was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a fairly large gate and notes that, with the main house, it forms the property's street front.
How the Kato Sake Brewery Gate Is Put Together
The main posts of the Kato Sake Brewery Gate rise from cut-stone footings and carry a crossbeam (Kabuki) and a pair of beams known as otoko-bari. The eaves are a single layer of widely spaced rafters (Taruki), which gives a light, uncluttered edge.
The roof is a simple gable (Kirizuma-zukuri) laid with interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki). Along the ridge, flat ridge tiles are stacked in layers and sealed with white lime plaster (Shikkui). Between the main posts hang double doors of plain boards.
Dressed stone at the foot, white plaster along the ridge: these are the parts a passer-by notices first.
The Gate and the Street Front of Kato Shuzō
The store and main house continues to the east of the Kato Sake Brewery Gate, and the front earthen wall runs west from it along the road. The gate is younger than the early Meiji house, but gate, house and wall, all under tiled caps, read from the street as one continuous frontage.
The prefecture describes a garden in front of the reception rooms, enclosed by walls, as a hallmark of townhouses on the Shimabara road. The gate is the street-side entrance to that enclosure.
Visiting the Kato Sake Brewery Gate
Because the Kato Sake Brewery Gate stands on the street, its exterior can be seen from the road. Behind it is a private home, and no public opening of the grounds could be confirmed, so please do not walk through the gate.
Look at the joint where the crossbeam and the otoko-bari meet on top of the main posts, and at the plastered stack of ridge tiles. From across the street, the outline of the gable and the paired board doors are easiest to take in.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kato Sake Brewery Gate
- [ Gunkanjima Island Landing & Glover Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Kato Sake Brewery Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō era.
- What type of gate is the Kato Sake Brewery Gate?
- A single-bay yakuimon gate, 2.5 meters wide, with a gabled pantile roof. A crossbeam and otoko-bari beams rest on the main posts, and double board doors hang between them.
- Why is the Kato Sake Brewery Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is fairly large and, together with the main house, forms the property's street front.
- Can I visit the Kato Sake Brewery Gate?
- Its exterior can be seen from the street. The grounds behind it are a private home, and no public opening could be confirmed.
- Where is the Kato Sake Brewery Gate?
- Directly west of the Kato Sake Brewery store and main house, facing north onto the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Sake Brewery Gate (加藤酒造門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1216-1 Nishikawa, Omisaki Bo, Ariake-cho, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 42-0076 |
| Year Designated | Registered October 23, 2008 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Wooden, gabled pantile roof, single-bay yakuimon, 2.5 meters wide |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street only (grounds not open) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kato Shuzo Mon
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007413
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kato Shuzo Tenpo-ken-shuoku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007411
- Nagasaki Prefecture Cultural Property Database: Kato Shuzo Store and Main House, Well, Gate and Earthen Walls (in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.nagasaki.jp/bunkadb/index.php/view/270
Last verified: 2026.10.02
