What Is the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
The Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (冨田家住宅長屋門, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is the gatehouse that forms the front of a prosperous farming estate in Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture; it was built in the mid-Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It is a single-storey timber building covering 108 square meters.
A Nagayamon combines a gateway with a row of rooms under one roof. This one runs east to west along the top of the southern stone wall, and visitors reached the gate by a sloping lane up from the road.
A 19-Meter Frontage
The Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate has a gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pan tiles and extends 19 meters along its length. The walls are finished in Shikkui plaster above a skirting of vertical boards, and from below the line of white wall and dark boarding reads like a long barrier closing off the south side of the estate.
The gateway sits at the western end and is 4.6 meters wide, with a Kugurido wicket door on each side so people could pass while the main doors stayed shut. East of the gateway are a room for male farmhands, a storage room and a privy, the usual way large farming households housed live-in workers.
Heavy Posts and Crossbeam
The gateposts and the Kabuki crossbeam above them are cut from timbers of large section. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the result imposing and credits the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate with giving the estate its solid public face.
West of the gate, the rice storehouse and roasting barn continue under a matching gabled roof, and the barn was finished to match the gatehouse, so gate and storehouse form one continuous front along the wall. The registration was made for the building's contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
The Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate belongs to a private home; its rooms are closed and visitors cannot pass through the gate.
Standing on the southern wall, it is among the buildings of the estate most visible from outside. Please do not walk up the lane to the gate; view the wall and gatehouse from the public road.
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Q&A
- What is the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is a mid-Meiji gatehouse that fronts the estate: a single-storey timber building of 108 square meters standing on the southern stone wall.
- When was the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate registered?
- On 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0241, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- How large is the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is 19 meters long under a gabled pan-tile roof, with a 4.6-meter gateway at the western end flanked by two wicket doors.
- What rooms are in the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- East of the gateway are a room for male farmhands, a storage room and a privy.
- Can I visit the Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- The interior is closed and the gate cannot be entered. It can be viewed from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (冨田家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0241 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 108 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011381
- Tomita Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/243998
- Minutes of the 172nd Cultural Properties Subcommittee, Council for Cultural Affairs, 15 July 2016 (in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkashingikai/bunkazai/16/pdf/gijiyoshi_172.pdf
- Ikoma City Cultural Properties Protection Council, meeting materials (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000000/562/siryou.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
