Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall at a Glance
The Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall (旧相川税務署門及び袖塀, Kyū Aikawa Zeimusho Mon oyobi Sodebei) is a reinforced-concrete gate with a low flanking wall, built in the early Showa period alongside the 1931 main building on Nagasaka in Aikawa, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009. It is counted as one structure.
The gateposts stand 2.0 meters high and 0.49 meters square, set 3.3 meters apart. The side wall beside them is only 0.7 meters high, made of 0.3-meter square posts with panels fitted between them, and runs 4.0 meters in total.
Why the Gate and Side Wall Matter
The Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall marks the line between the public lane and the tax office grounds. Where the main building is timber, the gate is reinforced concrete, still a fairly new material in provincial Japan at the time, finished with a washed mortar surface (Araidashi). Both the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Sado City describe it as plain and sturdy: no applied ornament, its character coming from material and proportion.
It was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape. The gate is the first thing a passer-by sees, and it frames the symmetrical front of the main building behind it. On its own it looks modest; viewed together with the office, it gives the building a proper civic entrance.
Details Worth a Close Look
Look at the corners of the gateposts. On the side facing the opening, one corner is finished with a karato-men chamfer, a traditional Japanese molding that steps and curves the edge rather than simply cutting it off. Only the corner you see as you walk through gets this treatment, a woodworking refinement carried over into concrete.
Then look at the surface. Washed finish is made by rinsing the mortar before it fully sets, so the small stones in the mix show through. How even the stones are in size and color is a direct record of the plasterer's care.
The side wall stops at roughly knee height or a little above, a sharp contrast with the 2.0-meter posts. Keeping it low leaves the ground floor of the main building visible from the lane.
Seeing the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall
The Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall faces Nagasaka directly, so the chamfered posts and the washed surface can be studied at close range from the public lane. There is no guidance about entering the grounds, so stay on the outside of the gate. Because the gate stands directly in front of the main building, the view through the posts gives you the office facade in a ready-made frame.
Q&A
- What is the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall made of?
- Both the gate and the side wall are reinforced concrete with a washed mortar finish.
- How large is the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall?
- The gateposts are 2.0 meters high and 0.49 meters square, 3.3 meters apart. The side wall is 0.7 meters high and 4.0 meters long in total.
- What details should I look for on the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall?
- The karato-men chamfer on the gatepost corner facing the opening, and the pebbled texture of the washed mortar. Both can be seen up close from the lane.
- When was the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2009, under number 15-0321, as one structure.
- When was the Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall built?
- No exact year is recorded. Sado City dates it to the early Showa period, the same time as the main building, which was built in 1931.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 16 Aikawa Nagasaka-machi, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 7, 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gate: opening 3.3 m, posts 2.0 m high. Side wall: 0.7 m high, 4.0 m total length |
| Owner | Sado City |
| Public Access | Viewable from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Aikawa Tax Office Gate and Side Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007745
- Sado City: Former Aikawa Tax Office (Registered Tangible Cultural Property, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4966.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
