What Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate Is
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate is a timber gate of 1896 in Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties in 2000. It opens in the middle of the close-set bamboo fence that links the bath and lavatory wing of the main house to the rickshaw shed.
What it divides is the eastern edge of the front garden that spreads before the formal entrance of the main house. Passing through Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate puts a visitor on the path that runs past the main house lavatory into the south garden, the seam between the space where guests are received and the space where they walk.
The opening is 1.7 metres wide, enough for one person at a time. The roof is laid with cypress bark and the ridge is capped with tile.
Why It Is Registered
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate was registered in 2000 with the number 33-0041, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, as part of the Taikado group of structures.
The choice of finish is what earns attention. Set into a light screen of packed bamboo is a gate roofed in cypress bark, a material associated with shrines, temples and sukiya teahouse work. Using it on an inner garden gate meant accepting real expense.
Capping the ridge in tile draws a single firm line across the soft edge of the bark. The material is raised in rank while the form stays small, which is exactly what is needed to separate two spaces of different character without making a show of it.
What to Look For
Seen from the side, Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate shows the depth of its roof. The cut ends of the layered bark read as strata, an eave line quite unlike the tiled roofs of the rickshaw shed and the residence.
Notice how the ground changes on either side. On the garden-front side it is the level surface where guests are received; beyond the gate it becomes a path into the grounds. An opening of 1.7 metres carries that switch.
Take the gate together with the bamboo fence running left and right and the composition becomes a single horizontal band of bark laid across a field of vertical bamboo. The change of material is what marks the entrance.
Visiting
Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate stands inside the grounds and cannot be seen from outside. It can be passed through only during the Kojima Hinameguri festival.
On an open day, approach from the front garden, look up at the bark eaves and carry straight on to the path; the division the gate makes is best understood by walking it. There is no interior here, so a visit means passing through and looking. Follow the photography notices posted on the day. Directions and the current opening dates are on the Nozaki Family Villa Taikado page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Where is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate?
- In the centre of the packed bamboo fence joining the bath and lavatory wing of the main house to the rickshaw shed, closing the front garden on its east side.
- What is the roof of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate made of?
- Cypress bark, with tile used only to cap the ridge.
- How wide is Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate?
- 1.7 metres, a small gate sized for one person at a time.
- Where does Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate lead?
- Onto the path that passes the main house lavatory and continues into the south garden, linking the forecourt with the grounds.
- What is the registration number of Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate?
- 33-0041. It was entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 28 April 2000.
Basic Information
| Name | Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-8-34 Kojima Ajino, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 1.7 m |
| Owner | Naikai Salt Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Normally closed; opened during the Kojima Hinameguri festival |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Nozaki Family Villa Taikado Middle Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001639
- Nozaki Family Villa Taikado, Main House and Twelve Other Structures (Kurashiki City)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/culture/art/1007596/1007597/1011206/1007792/1007796.html
- Kojima Hinameguri (Kurashiki City, Kojima Branch Office)
- https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/culture/tourism/1001881/1011764/1008061/1011533.html
Last verified: 2026.09.13
