What the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate Is
The Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate (河合家住宅露地門, Kawai-ke Jūtaku Rojimon) is a gate of the closing Edo decades (1830 to 1867) in Kitayagicho, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 August 2009. It opens onto the Shimotsumichi road at the southern end of the estate's west side and served as the entrance to the retirement quarters attached to the southeast corner of the main house.
It is an udegimon, a bracket-arm gate: two posts with short arms projecting front and back near the top, carrying a small roof. The type is simple and common for side gates on townhouses and estates. This one is 1.7 metres wide and 3.1 metres high, under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof that combines round-and-flat Hongawarabuki tiles with lighter Sangawara-buki pantiles.
Roji means a passage between buildings, or a path of stepping stones leading into a garden, as in a tea garden. The name tells you what the gate was for: a way to the retirement quarters at the back that did not pass through the shop at the front.
Why It Was Listed
The Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary says that, together with the main house, it forms the street front of the merchant house.
Three of the estate's structures face the old road: the northwest storehouse at the north end, the main house in the middle and this gate at the south end. Beside the main house, whose front runs 20 metres, a gate 1.7 metres wide is small. But where the run of lattice stops, a tiled gate roof rises, and the street front gets a clear southern edge.
The gate's purpose matters too. A separate entrance to the retirement quarters would have let the previous head, having handed on the business, live apart from the comings and goings of the shop. According to the Kashihara City Tourism Association the retirement quarters were built by 1859, which sits within the closing-Edo date the national database gives the gate.
What to Look For
The Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate is fitted differently front and back. Facing the road it has a lattice door with a Kugurido, a small wicket door for passing through; on the inside hang a pair of solid board doors. Light and open toward the street, firmly closed on the inside.
Look up at the band above the doorway. Across the small wall at lintel height, crossed diagonal braces are set in, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes they are laid in pairs, a technique called fukiyose. It is fine work to lavish on so small a gate.
The roof mixes heavy round-and-flat tiles with lighter pantiles. Compare the eaves and the ridge to see where each is used.
Visiting
The Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate is privately owned and you cannot go through it (checked 26 September 2026). It faces the Shimotsumichi, so the exterior can be seen from the public road.
The lattice door and wicket can be seen close up from the street. The paired braces sit high on the gate, so step back a little to read their pattern. The board doors on the inside face are not visible from the road.
No notice prohibiting photography was found. This gate is still a household entrance, so keep the lens away from the space behind the lattice. Directions to the estate and the conditions for seeing it are set out on the Kawai Family Residence (Kitayagi) page.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate?
- You cannot go through it, but it faces the Shimotsumichi road, so the exterior can be seen from the public street.
- What was the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate used for?
- It is the entrance to the retirement quarters attached to the southeast corner of the main house, allowing access to the back of the house without passing through the shop.
- When was the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the closing Edo decades (1830 to 1867).
- How big is the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate?
- It is a bracket-arm gate 1.7 metres wide and 3.1 metres high, with a gabled roof of round-and-flat tiles and pantiles.
- What design details does the Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate have?
- A lattice door with a wicket on the street side, double board doors on the inside, and paired diagonal braces in the band above the doorway.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate (河合家住宅露地門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-154-1 Kitayagicho, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 29-0138 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/8/7 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | 1.7 metres wide, 3.1 metres high. Timber bracket-arm gate, gabled roof, round-and-flat tiles and pantiles |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed. Exterior only, from the public road. |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Kawai Family Residence Rojimon Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007795
- Kawai Eiji Family Residence (Kashihara City Tourism Association)
- https://kashihara-kanko.or.jp/spot/detail.php?sid=S00095
Last verified: 2026.09.26
