What Is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate?
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate (旧北村医院（李軒邸）表門, Kyū Kitamura Iin Riken-tei Omotemon) is a Yakuimon-type gate built in 1865 in Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and it was entered on the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 14, 2021. It is a timber gate under a gabled roof of pantiles, 2.6 meters wide, on the south side of the compound, where it adjoins the detached parlor (waiting room building) to its west. It is the main entrance to the Former Kitamura Clinic.
Short flanking walls (Sodobei) extend on either side, and a small wicket door (Kugurido) is set on the west.
Why It Was Registered
The Front Gate was registered under the criterion of contributing to the country's historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as having the standing expected of the frontage of a doctor's residence.
It went up in 1865, in the last years of the Edo period and about 40 years after the main house of 1827. Once the neighboring parlor became the waiting room in the 1920s, it was also the first thing patients passed through. The Kitamura front gate has served both as a statement of the family's status and as the entrance to a working clinic.
What to Look For
A deep yakuimon
In a yakuimon, a single gabled roof spans the main posts that carry the doors and a second pair of posts set behind them. At the Kitamura gate, the depth from front to back is large compared with the width of the opening. With a frontage of only 2.6 meters and a roof that reaches well forward and back, the gate reads from the street as mostly roof.
Paneled doors and strap fittings
The doors are itakarado, thick boards joined edge to edge and capped top and bottom, a type long used at temples and high-ranking gates. They carry hassō fittings, long ornamental metal straps nailed across the face that also help hold the boards together.
Carved beam ends and plain side walls
The protruding ends of the beams are carved with molded profiles. The flanking walls are earthen, with vertical boarding along the base. The carved curves set against the rough earth and plain boards are worth a close look.
Viewing the Front Gate
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate is the main gate on the south side of a private residence, and no public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026. Please do not open the doors or the wicket, and do not step inside. The agency's photographs show the south face of the gate, taken from outside, and its roof framing from the west.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shiga
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate
- [ Hikone Castle & Lake Biwa Cruise Experiences ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate built?
- In 1865. It is about 40 years younger than the main house and 3 years older than the detached parlor next to it, built in 1868.
- What type of gate is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate?
- It is a yakuimon with a gabled, pantiled roof. The opening is 2.6 meters wide, and the gate is unusually deep from front to back relative to that width.
- What is special about the doors of the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate?
- They are itakarado paneled doors fitted with hassō strap fittings and other metalwork. A wicket door is set on the west side.
- Why is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 14, 2021, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The agency values its standing as the formal frontage of a doctor’s residence.
- Can visitors see the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate?
- No public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026. The gate is the entrance to a private home, so please do not go through it.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 761-1 Tsujishita, Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 1 storey, tiled roof, frontage 2.6 meters |
| Owner | Not published |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no opening announced; checked September 27, 2026) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Front Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014037
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs recommendation on registered buildings (July 16, 2021, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93246101_01.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
