What Is the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate?
The Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate (中山家住宅本蔵及び裏門, Nakayama-ke Jūtaku Hongura oyobi Uramon) is a Meiji-era gate and archive storehouse on the north side of the Nakayama estate in Bessho, Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 2, 2004.
It combines the back gate, set in the board fence along the north edge of the property, with a storehouse for documents and valuables, in the manner of a nagayamon gatehouse. The building area is 29 square meters. With the pottery storehouse, it is one of just two Meiji-era buildings among the fourteen.
The Estate's North Face
The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate with giving definition to the view of the estate from the north. The gate and white storehouse dress the south front; on the north, this building and the long nagaya shed do the same.
Matsubara City's photograph of the back of the property shows the storehouse and gate at the left end, the nagaya at the right and the wall running between them. Having a composed gate-and-storehouse front on both sides is one of the estate's distinctive features.
Details Worth Knowing
The walls change character from inside to outside. Facing the estate they are white shikkui plaster; facing out they are black plaster and funaita, planks salvaged from old boats, whose worn grain against the black gives the north side a weighty look.
The storehouse is built in the shinkabe manner with its posts showing, and the gate has a main opening and one side door. The storehouse ridge sits a little higher than the gate's, but on the north side the roof runs through as one continuous slope, so from outside the two read as a single long range.
Seeing It from Outside
The grounds are closed, but because the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate stands on the north edge, its black plaster and boat-plank walls, the unbroken roof and the two gate openings can be seen from the north side.
The white inner face is inside the grounds and not visible. Look from the street and keep cameras away from the gate opening. Directions are on the Nakayama Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I see the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate from outside?
- Yes. It stands on the north edge of the estate, and its black plaster and boat-plank walls and gate are visible from the north. The grounds are closed.
- What kind of storehouse is the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an archive storehouse, combined with the back gate in a single gatehouse-style building.
- When was the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate built?
- In the Meiji era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 2, 2004.
- Why are the inner and outer walls of the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate different?
- The side facing the estate is white plaster, while the outside is black plaster and salvaged boat planks, giving the north frontage a stronger look.
- Where is the Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate?
- On the north edge of the estate, set in the board fence that bounds the property; its building area is 29 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-623 Bessho, Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/3/2 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 29 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (occupied private residence; north side visible from outside) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Nakayama Family Residence Main Storehouse and Back Gate (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004008
- Matsubara City: Nakayama Family Residence, Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Japanese)
- https://www.city.matsubara.lg.jp/docs/page3510.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
