Two Stone Pillars That Announce the Obelisk
The Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts (野﨑武左衛門翁旌徳碑門柱, Nozaki Buzaemon-ō Shōtoku-hi Monchū) are a pair of 4.7-meter granite gateposts built in 1894 at the entrance to the Nozaki memorial garden in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.
They stand on either side of the street entrance, each more than two and a half times the height of a person. Beyond them, across a small pond, rises the 18-meter obelisk that Nozaki Bukichirō, a member of the House of Peers, raised for his grandfather Nozaki Buzaemon (1789 to 1864), the salt-field pioneer of Kojima.
The garden covers about 1,000 square meters and sits some 400 meters southwest of the old Nozaki family residence. The gateposts, the obelisk, the bridge over the pond and the boundary wall all date from the same year, and all four were listed together as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2004.
Why the Gateposts Were Registered
The Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts were registered as structures that "serve as a model of design." Of the four registered pieces on the site, they are the only ones listed under that criterion, which puts the emphasis squarely on their form.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes each post in four stages. The shaft is a rectangular block of stone with chamfered corners and shallow carving on its faces. Above it runs a concave band modeled on leaves, a stone version of a cornice. On that sits a Coping stone, a flat coping stone, and the whole is crowned by a rounded, spindle-shaped finial.
The agency notes the careful, labor-intensive workmanship and, more tellingly, that the posts were shaped with the obelisk's design in mind. A square shaft that gathers itself toward a pointed top is exactly what waits at the far end of the garden, only here at a quarter of the scale. The posts preview the monument before you reach it.
The cornice detail is worth a moment's thought. In Western architecture a cornice is the molded band that caps a wall. The masons of 1890s Kojima took that idea, recast it as a ring of stylized leaves and wrapped it around a freestanding pillar, a small example of how Meiji builders absorbed European forms and made them their own.
What to Look for at the Gateposts
Read the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts from the bottom up. The chamfered edges of the shaft catch the light as thin vertical lines. The leaf band throws a shadow into its hollow. The coping stone projects outward and closes the composition with a firm horizontal, and the round finial lifts it again. Straight and curved, vertical and horizontal alternate within 4.7 meters of stone.
The shallow carving on the shafts is easy to miss from a distance. Viewed at an angle, the relief shows up more clearly in shadow.
Finally, stand between the two posts and look into the garden. The pillars act as a frame, the bridge leads across the pond, and the obelisk rises in the center. With the finials and the tip of the tower in the same view, the echo between the entrance and the monument becomes obvious.
Seeing the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts
The Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts face the street at the garden entrance, so you can study them from the pavement without entering the grounds and at no charge. That is also the closest vantage point for the four-stage design. The rules for passing between them into the garden are not published; check with the owner first if you want to go in.
No photography restrictions are posted. You will need to step back a little to fit the finials into the frame, so watch for passing cars.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- How tall are the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts?
- Each of the pair stands 4.7 meters high. They are made of stone and mark the entrance to the memorial garden.
- What are the design features of the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts?
- A chamfered, lightly carved rectangular shaft, a leaf-shaped concave band in the manner of a cornice, a coping stone and a rounded spindle-shaped finial. The form deliberately echoes the obelisk.
- Under what criterion were the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts registered?
- They were registered in 2004 as structures that serve as a model of design. They are the only one of the four registered structures on the site listed under that criterion.
- Is it free to see the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts?
- Yes. They stand at the street entrance and can be viewed from the road. Entry rules for the garden are not published, so contact the owner if you want to go inside.
- Can I see the Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts without entering the garden?
- Yes. They stand at the street entrance, so you can view the front and the carved details from the pavement.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Buzaemon Shotoku Monument Gateposts (野﨑武左衛門翁旌徳碑門柱) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-2129-2 Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2004 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 pair |
| Dimensions | Stone; height 4.7 meters |
| Owner | Ryuo Kaikan Foundation (now a public interest incorporated foundation) |
| Public Access | Visible from the public road; conditions for entering the grounds not published |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nozaki Buzaemon-ō Shōtoku-hi Monchū
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004181
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nozaki Buzaemon-ō Shōtoku-hi Monchū
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/141451
- Kurashiki City: Nozaki Buzaemon-ō Shōtoku-hi and related structures
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/culture/art/1007596/1007597/1011206/1007792/1007801.html
- Nozaki Family Salt Industry Museum: History
- https://www.nozakike.or.jp/history
Last verified: 2026.09.25
