What the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate Is
The Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate is a two-storey timber gatehouse of the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) in Kamogata, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 26, 2015.
In Japanese it is Himei-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon (姫井家住宅長屋門). It is the street gate of the Himei family, a line of doctors who served the lords of the Kamogata domain, and it faces south from the top of a rough random-stone wall along the front road. A Nagayamon combines a gateway and a row of rooms under one long roof, so that the gate is also a building in its own right.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 111 square meters. Its registration number is 33-0273, one after the main house behind it (33-0272), which was registered on the same day.
Why the Gate Was Registered
The gate was registered under the criterion that it contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The agency's description singles out its plastered exterior lined with lattice windows, which it says gives the estate a dignified appearance.
That reasoning fits the building's job. A private house is mostly hidden from the street, however fine it is inside. A nagayamon is the opposite: it is the part of the estate everyone passing by sees. With the stone wall below and the white wall and lattice above, the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate gives the road a continuous, ordered frontage, and that contribution to the townscape is what the registration recognizes.
How the Gatehouse Is Put Together
According to the agency, the building is constructed in the Dozo-zukuri manner, with thick plastered walls like those of a storehouse. The eastern half steps forward toward the road, and the Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof, covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles, has its ridges offset to match. From the street you can see the roofline and the wall plane jump as they pass from the western half, where the gate is, to the projecting eastern half. The offset breaks up what would otherwise be one long flat block.
The gate opening sits in the middle of the western half. The eastern half holds three rooms in a row, with a lean-to roof added on the north side, facing into the estate. The upper floor has been used for storage. From outside, what you see is white Shikkui plaster and a regular line of lattice windows.
The gate is younger than the oldest parts of the main house, which date to the late Edo period, but it was already guarding the front of the property before the house gained its Western-style consulting room in 1914.
Seeing the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
The Himei Family Residence is a private home and is not open to the public. The gate is the one part you can see: Okayama Prefecture and the Takahashi River Basin League both say that only its exterior may be viewed, from the road. Visitors cannot pass through the gate or enter the grounds.
Looking from the front road gives the best view of the eastern half projecting over the stone wall and the rhythm of the lattice windows. There is no published guidance on photography, so avoid lingering in front of the gate or blocking the entrance. Directions to the estate, and the occasions when the garden has opened in azalea season, are covered on the Himei Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I visit the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- You can see its exterior from the road. The Himei Family Residence is a private home, so the grounds behind the gate are closed to visitors.
- When was the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built and registered?
- It dates from the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 26, 2015 (registration number 33-0273).
- What does the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate look like?
- It is a two-storey plastered gatehouse with lattice windows. Its eastern half projects forward, and its gabled tile roof has offset ridges.
- What is inside the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- The gate opening is in the western half, and three rooms run along the eastern half, with a lean-to on the north side. The upper floor is used for storage.
- Where is the best place to view the Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- From the front road, where you can see the eastern half stepping out over the stone wall and the line of lattice windows.
Basic Information
| Name | Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (姫井家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1342 Nakayama-dori, Kamogata, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 26, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 111 square meters (2-storey timber building, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior viewable from the road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010511
- Himei Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/277806
- Himei Family Residence: Main House and Nagayamon Gate (Okayama Prefecture, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties)
- https://www.pref.okayama.jp/uploaded/attachment/261021.pdf
- Himei Family Residence Main House and Nagayamon Gate (Takahashi River Basin League)
- https://takahashiryuiki.com/feature/%E9%AB%98%E6%A2%81%E5%B7%9D%E6%B5%81%E5%9F%9F%E3%81%AE%E6%8C%87%E5%AE%9A%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E8%B2%A1%EF%BC%88%E5%BB%BA%E9%80%A0%E7%89%A9%EF%BC%89/%E6%B5%85%E5%8F%A3%E5%B8%82/%E5%A7%AB%E4%BA%95%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%E4%B8%BB%E5%B1%8B%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E9%95%B7%E5%B1%8B%E9%96%80/
Last verified: 2026.10.03
