The Gate That Divides the Front Garden
The Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall (榎原家住宅露地門及び塀, Ebara-ke Jūtaku Rojimon oyobi Hei) is a small garden gate and wall built between 1912 and 1926, in the Taishō period, in Ozone, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014. The wall runs south from the western end of the main house's formal entrance, the Shikidai, with the gate set halfway along it. Its registration number is 27-0604.
The gate is a bracketed Udekimon 1.2 metres wide, and the wall is 13 metres in total length. Both are timber with tiled roofs. Together they divide the principal garden in front of the main house into east and west halves.
A Taishō-Era Addition
The Council for Cultural Affairs noted how the roji gate and the wall on either side of it split the front garden in two. The five buildings of the compound date from the late Edo period; the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall came later, in the Taishō years. A later generation took the garden in front of a late Edo house and gave it a new structure.
Roji is the word for the path through a tea garden, and a roji gate is the modest gate that marks its entrance. Here the gate draws a line between the formal approach to the main house and a quieter garden beyond. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with creating a calm, secluded atmosphere. It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
What to Look For: A Wall with Two Faces
The gate of the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in Sangawara-buki pantiles, carried on Udeki, brackets projecting from the posts, and its doors hang between slim jamb posts. It is deliberately light, the scale of a garden entrance rather than a front gate.
The wall is finished differently on each side. The public face has black plaster across the upper part, lattice windows set at intervals, and vertical boarding below. The back is simply brush-finished. Black band, lattice openings and timber base together make up what a visitor to the house would have seen.
A brush finish, drawn across wet plaster to leave fine lines, takes far less work than polished black plaster. Where the builders spent their effort shows clearly which side was meant to be looked at.
Visiting
The Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall stands in the front garden of a private residence and is not open to the public. It cannot be seen from the street, and photography on the property is not possible.
How the compound developed and how to reach the area are covered on the Ebara Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall?
- No. The Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall stands within a private residence and is not open to visitors.
- When was the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō period, between 1912 and 1926, later than the buildings of the compound.
- How big is the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall?
- The gate is a bracketed udekimon 1.2 metres wide, and the wall is 13 metres in total length.
- What is a roji gate, as at the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall?
- A roji is the path through a tea garden, and a roji gate is the simple gate at its entrance. Here it divides the garden in front of the main house into east and west halves.
- When was the Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall registered?
- It was registered on October 7, 2014, together with the seven other structures of the Ebara compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall (榎原家住宅露地門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-214-1 Ozone, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/10/7 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tiled roof, 1.2 metres wide; wall: timber, tiled roof, 13 metres in total length |
| Owner | Private (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ebara Family Residence Roji Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010207
- Council for Cultural Affairs report on new Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, March 18, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/bunkashingi_toshin_140318.pdf
- Osaka Cultural Heritage Navi: Ebara Family Residence
- https://osaka-bunkazainavi.org/bunkazai/%E6%A6%8E%E5%8E%9F%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85
Last verified: 2026.09.26
