The Gate Between the Main House and the Annex
The Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall (榎原家住宅庭門及び塀, Ebara-ke Jūtaku Niwamon oyobi Hei) is a gate and short 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. It links the back of the main house to the annex and closes off the east side of the rear garden. Its registration number is 27-0605.
Both gate and wall have Sangawara-buki pantile roofs. The gate, 1.9 metres wide, sits toward the north end; the wall is only 3.5 metres long, little more than a wing beside the gate.
Shaping the Inner Garden
The Council for Cultural Affairs listed the garden gate behind the main house among the elements of the compound, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall as helping, with the annex and storehouses, to create the garden space. It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Where the roji gate divides the front garden, the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall encloses the back one. Ringed by the main house, the annex and the storehouses, the inner garden becomes a closed court once this gate and wall are in place. Both gates date from the Taishō years, which suggests that this was when the gardens of the household were given their present divisions.
What to Look For: A Sliding Door and an Open-Topped Wall
The gate of the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall is an Udekimon, its roof carried on Udeki, brackets projecting from the posts. The south half of the opening is filled with a vertical-board wall, and the north half with a single sliding plank door. A sliding door needs no room to swing, which suits a gate squeezed between two buildings.
The wall's ridge steps down below the gate's, and it is made of vertical boards up to about head height. Above that line the boards stop and the wall is left open. It screens the inner garden without closing it off entirely, letting light and air through the top, and the lower roof makes the gate easy to pick out.
Visiting
The Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall stands deep inside a private residence, between the main house and the annex, 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 Garden Gate and Wall?
- No. The Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall stands deep inside a private residence and is not open to visitors.
- When was the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō period, between 1912 and 1926.
- How big is the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall?
- The gate is a bracketed udekimon 1.9 metres wide, and the wall is 3.5 metres in total length.
- What is unusual about the wall of the Ebara Family Residence Garden Gate and Wall?
- Its roof sits lower than the gate's, and its vertical boards stop at about head height, leaving the top open so light and air pass into the inner garden.
- When was the Ebara Family Residence Garden 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 Garden Gate and Wall (榎原家住宅庭門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| 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, 1.9 metres wide; wall: timber, tiled roof, 3.5 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 Garden Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010208
- 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
