About the Gate Row House
The Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House (旧中村家住宅門長屋, Kyū Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Mon-nagaya) is a long gate building completed in 1899 in Amami, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023. It closes the south side of the Nakamura estate, with rooms strung out on either side of the gateway, and the national database records a renovation in the early Showa period.
This single-story timber building covers 110 square meters, second only to the main house (147 square meters) and almost twice the size of the west zashiki wing (60 square meters). The roof is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) with pantiles (Sangawara-buki), and the walls are Shinkabe construction, with the posts left visible, above a skirting of boards (Koshiita).
A Gate with a Storeroom on One Side and Tatami Rooms on the Other
The gateway of the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House has plank doors, with a small wicket door (Kugurido) beside them. On either side of it, the rooms are of two quite different kinds.
To the east is a storeroom with an earthen floor (Doma), lit by a Yorikimado, a slatted window set in the outer wall. To the west is a suite of three connected tatami rooms with a formal alcove, fronted by a projecting lattice window (Degōshi). Kawachinagano City calls the west side open and modern in design. Rather than giving both sides of this Nagayamon-style building over to storage, the builders fitted one side out as rooms fit for guests.
Black Plaster, White Plaster, and Silkworms
According to Osaka Bunkazai Navi, the Nakamura gate row house is finished in black Shikkui plaster on the outside and white plaster on the courtyard side, with vertical boards along the base. The color of the walls changes as you pass through the gate, so look back once you are inside.
The west tatami rooms still show the mark of a hearth, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that they were used for a time to raise silkworms. Rooms built with a formal alcove for receiving guests were at some point turned over to sericulture, and the hearth mark is the evidence of that change in use.
Why It Was Registered
The Gate Row House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Its long tiled roof and dark walls along the south side of the plot make up the public face of a village headman's estate, and it is the first building anyone arriving at the Former Nakamura Family Residence sees.
The front elevation is the part to study. The west half, with its projecting lattice window, and the east half, with its slatted window, give the same building two different faces. Stand in front of the gateway and compare them: the split between tatami rooms and storeroom is legible from outside.
Seeing the Gate Row House
The Gate Row House is the south entrance to the estate and now forms the street front of the Sansen Sozen Kyuemon cafe premises. You can see the exterior from the south side of the estate, and once inside the gate you face the white-plastered inner wall and, beyond the courtyard pine, the main house.
There is no published information on whether the rooms of the gate row house are open to visitors, so ask the cafe staff if you would like to see inside. Nor is there guidance on photography; keep other guests and neighboring homes out of your pictures. Directions and opening days are on the Former Nakamura Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House
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Q&A
- When was the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House built?
- It was built in 1899, and the national database records a renovation in the early Showa period.
- How were the rooms of the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House used?
- The east side is a storeroom with an earthen floor and a slatted window. The west side is a suite of three connected tatami rooms with a formal alcove and a projecting lattice window facing out.
- Was the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House used for silkworms?
- Yes, for a time. A hearth mark survives in the west rooms, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that they were once used for sericulture.
- What should you look for on the outside of the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House?
- The walls are black plaster outside and white plaster on the courtyard side, so the color changes as you pass through the gate. On the front, compare the lattice window on the west with the slatted window on the east.
- When was the Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023, under registration number 27-0892.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House (旧中村家住宅門長屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 346 Amami, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2023 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 110 square meters (single-story timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Operates as a cafe (partly open) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014648
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/598930
- Kawachinagano City: Former Nakamura Family Residence Gate Row House (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.kawachinagano.lg.jp/site/history/89369.html
- Osaka Bunkazai Navi: Sansen Sozen Kyuemon (Former Nakamura Family Residence)
- https://osaka-bunkazainavi.org/bunkazai/%E5%B1%B1%E5%B7%9D%E8%8D%89%E8%86%B3-%E4%B9%85%E5%8F%B3%E8%A1%9B%E9%96%80%EF%BC%88%E6%97%A7%E4%B8%AD%E6%9D%91%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%EF%BC%89
Last verified: 2026.09.29
