Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
The Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (旧中村家住宅長屋門, Kyū-Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Nagayamon) is the 1886 front gatehouse of a village headman's estate in Ōmano-chō, Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. It is a single-storey timber building with a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) of pantiles, covering 81 square metres, with walls extending from both sides.
A Nagayamon is a gate built into a long range of rooms, and this one does exactly that. The passage runs through the middle; to the west is a single earth-floored room, and to the east are two rooms, a boarded one next to the passage and another with an earth floor beyond it. The gatehouse stands at the centre of the south boundary, its flanking walls running east and west to close off the front of the homestead.
It is the oldest of the six buildings that survive at the Former Nakamura Family Residence.
Why the Nagayamon Gate was registered
The Nagayamon Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees it as a gate that conveys the dignity of an old established family. It is the first thing anyone sees from the road, and it sets the character of the whole estate.
Its date matters too. The gate went up 28 years before the main house of 1914, so the family's first move in rebuilding its compound in the mid-Meiji years was to put up a proper front.
The building was repaired in 2003 and returned to its original form.
What to look for
The walls are framed in exposed timber (Shinkabe) and filled with nezumi shikkui, a grey lime plaster, above a skirt of weatherboarding. Koshigaya City's leaflet explains that the grey comes from pine-soot ink mixed into the Shikkui. Stand in front of the gate and compare that muted tone with the white walls of the storehouses inside.
The double doors in the passage are studded with decorative metal fittings. According to the leaflet, each leaf is a single board of keyaki (Japanese zelkova), and the growth rings are so alike that both may have been cut from the same tree. Look from one leaf to the other and judge for yourself.
Part of the gatehouse was once known as the maegura, the front store. The Agency's record includes a photograph of the roof framing in that section.
Visiting the Nagayamon Gate
The Nagayamon Gate doubles as the entrance to the site, so every visitor passes through it. The exterior can also be seen from the road outside; the city's own facility page uses a photograph taken from beyond the boundary.
Koshigaya City lists the gatehouse among the buildings where household tools and other items are on display. The grain of the two door leaves is easiest to compare with the doors open, from inside the gate and from the road.
Opening hours, admission and directions are covered on the Former Nakamura Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate
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Q&A
- When was the Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate built?
- It was built in 1886, making it the oldest of the six surviving buildings. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021.
- Can I see the Nakamura Nagayamon Gate?
- Yes. It is the entrance to the site, so every visitor walks through it, and its exterior can also be seen from the road outside.
- Why are the walls of the Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate grey?
- They are finished in nezumi shikkui, lime plaster tinted grey with pine-soot ink, above a skirt of weatherboarding.
- What is special about the Nagayamon Gate doors at the Nakamura residence?
- The double doors carry decorative metal fittings, and each leaf is a single board of keyaki. The growth rings match so closely that both may come from one tree.
- How big is the Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a pantiled hipped roof and a building area of 81 square metres, with a central passage, one earth-floored room to the west, two rooms to the east and flanking walls on both sides.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (旧中村家住宅長屋門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 100-4 Omanocho 1-chome, Koshigaya, Saitama |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 11-0212 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 81 square metres, with flanking walls on both sides |
| Owner | Koshigaya City |
| Public Access | Open to the public (admission charged) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Nakamura Family Residence Nagayamon Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013956
- Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence, facility guide (Koshigaya City)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/toiawase/shisetsu/dentobunka/oomanocyounakamurake.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property: Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence (Koshigaya City)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/citypromotion/rekisibunka/bunkazai/tourokunooshirase.html
- Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence leaflet (Koshigaya City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/toiawase/shisetsu/dentobunka/oomanocyounakamurake_files_R3-ohmao-reaflet.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.25
