Nakahara Family Residence Front Gate and Wall

The Estate's Face to the Road

The Nakahara Family Residence Front Gate and Wall (中原家住宅表門及び塀, Nakahara-ke Jūtaku Omotemon oyobi Hei) is the 1935 street frontage of the Nakahara estate in Akatsuka, Nishi-ku, Niigata City, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 10, 2018.

The gate opens on the east side of the property, facing the old Hokkoku road a little north of center, and the wall runs away from it in both directions. The gate is timber with a sheet-metal roof and a span of 3.2 meters; the wall, also timber under sheet metal, stretches a total of 69 meters. Gate and wall are registered together as a single entry.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the Nakahara front gate and wall were built to mark the 60th anniversary of Emperor Meiji's visit. Having hosted the emperor for lunch in 1878, the family gave that history a formal public face. A stone pillar naming the house as an imperial stop originally stood beside this gate; it was moved into the grounds after World War II.

Why It Was Registered

The registration criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The agency's commentary credits the Nakahara Front Gate and Wall with lending the old post-town street a dignified frontage.

The gate is an Udekimon: two main posts with brackets projecting from their tops to carry a small gabled roof. It is a restrained choice compared with the grander row-house gates of some landlords, and it leaves the long wall to set the tone.

That wall rises from a base of dressed stone. Its upper panels are Shinkabe, with the timber posts left exposed between white Shikkui lime plaster, and its lower band is clad in overlapping horizontal boards held by notched battens, a finish called sasarako Shitami-itabari. The notches throw a row of small shadows, which keeps 69 meters of wall from reading as a blank line.

What to Look For

Rather than the gate itself, read the wall in section. From the ground up there are four bands: cut stone, boarding, white plaster, and a metal coping. In a region of heavy snow, the stone and boards protect the plaster from splash and meltwater; practicality becomes the street's pattern.

The gate is modest, only 3.2 meters wide, yet its bracket ends and gable rise as the single vertical accent against all that horizontal wall. Step back to the far side of the road to see the contrast.

Visiting the Front Gate and Wall

Because it lines the road, the Nakahara Front Gate and Wall can be seen from the street at any time. It is still a private home, so stay outside the gate and keep the entrance clear.

On the spring and autumn open days you can also see the imperial stone pillar that once stood beside it, now inside the grounds. Dates and directions are on the Nakahara Family Residence page.