Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Gate

What the Gate Is

The Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Gate (帆足家分家住宅（松石不老館）門) is a mid-Meiji Munamon, or ridge gate, in Hetsugi Honmachi, Nakahetsugi, Oita City, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 November 2005. It stands at the southeast corner of the property, set slightly back from the road and facing east. The opening is 2.7 metres wide, and the wooden gate is roofed with pantiles.

Short walls flank it on both sides, and beside the main doors is a small Kugurido, a wicket door. The walls have clapboard on their lower part, white Shikkui plaster above, and a pantile cap. The gate sits right beside the main house and forms the formal entrance to the compound.

Why It Was Listed

The Hoashi Family Branch Residence Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The ACA commentary points to its place beside the main house and its weighty presence.

A munamon is about as simple as a Japanese gate gets: a roof set directly on two posts, with no rear braces. With so little structure, the proportion of roof to post is what gives such a gate its character. An opening of 2.7 metres is ample for a residence, and the wicket beside it would have handled everyday comings and goings.

A shop house invites people in through its shopfront. Building a separate gate as well makes a different statement, one about the household rather than the business. The merchant front of the main house and the residential gate at the corner stand side by side, and together they give the eastern face of the Hoashi Family Branch Residence both characters.

What to Look For

Notice first where the gate stands. Set back a little from the line of the street, it leaves a small forecourt, a moment's pause between passing along the road and stepping through.

Then look at the flanking walls. The clapboard at the base takes rain splash; the plaster above is bright and plain; the tiles cap it all. Board, plaster and tile line up in level bands on both sides of the gate.

Look for the wicket too. It lets a person through while the big doors stay shut, a common feature of residential gates, and it puts ceremony and daily convenience in the same frame.

Visiting

The Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Gate faces the street and can be seen from the road on the east side. The ground behind it is private and not open to the public (checked 25 September 2026). Do not walk through the gate or open the wicket.

We found no information on photography rules. Avoid standing in front of the gate for long, since it is in use; the far side of the road gives a good view of the gate together with the main house.

Directions to the site as a whole are on the Hoashi Family Branch Residence page.