Shojukan Front Gate and Wall
Shojukan Front Gate and Wall is a gate and perimeter fence of 1918 in Tatsutachō, Gokashō, Higashiōmi City, Shiga Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 February 2021. The gate is of timber with a tiled roof and an opening 1.8 metres wide; the fence, also timber and tiled, runs 136 metres in total. Gate and fence are registered together as a single structure.
Of the thirteen registered items at Shojukan, this is the one always in view from the road. The gate faces the lane along the northern edge of the site, and the fence carries on around the boundary from there.
Setting the Gate Back
The gate stands 9.5 metres in from the road rather than on it. A forecourt opens in front, and the fence leads the visitor across it. The arrangement puts a pause between the street and the house, and the whole outline of Shojukan Front Gate and Wall follows from that setback.
The gate is built Kirizuma-zukuri with Sangawara-buki pantiles. A latticed door faces the street, sliding boarded doors close behind it, and walls flank both sides. Doubling the leaves lets the household sense the street through the lattice while retaining the option of shutting the entrance completely. At 1.8 metres the opening takes people and goods, not vehicles.
The fence encloses the boundary and also runs between the gate and the main house. Its 136 metres are in proportion to grounds of roughly 2,000 square metres. The register calls Shojukan Front Gate and Wall an essential element of an Ōmi merchant's family seat on an extensive site. Here it is the enclosure, not a building, that draws the outline of the estate.
What to Look For
Look up at the tiles on top of the fence. Roofing a timber fence protects the boards and posts from rain; an unroofed board fence rots within decades. That small roof is why Shojukan Front Gate and Wall has stood since 1918.
Study the relationship between the lattice and the boarded doors. From outside only the lattice shows, with the sliding boards waiting behind it, so the gate changes character depending on how it is closed.
Then walk the length of it. At a slow pace, 136 metres takes about two minutes, and the ridge line of the tiles turns direction at every corner. Without entering at all, the fence alone conveys the size of the grounds.
Visiting
Because it faces a public road, Shojukan Front Gate and Wall is the only one of the thirteen that can be seen outside the opening season, and walking along the fence costs nothing. The grounds beyond are private, and passing through the gate is possible only on the opening days of the Merchant Museum, Kyōrinbō Betsuin.
Photography is permitted. From the street, placing the gate centrally with the fence running away on both sides shows the 9.5-metre setback. Conditions for seeing the interior of the estate, and directions, are given on the Shojukan page.
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Q&A
- When was Shojukan Front Gate and Wall built?
- In 1918. The gate and the fence are registered together as one structure.
- How long is the fence at Shojukan Front Gate and Wall?
- 136 metres in total, running around the boundary of the site and also between the gate and the main house.
- Can Shojukan Front Gate and Wall be seen outside the opening season?
- Yes. It faces a public road and is the only one of the thirteen visible at any time, though the gate itself cannot be passed except on opening days.
- How is the gate at Shojukan Front Gate and Wall constructed?
- A gabled roof in pantiles, a latticed door on the street side, sliding boarded doors within, and walls to either side. The opening measures 1.8 metres.
- Why does Shojukan Front Gate and Wall stand back from the road?
- The gate is set 9.5 metres in from the lane along the northern boundary, leaving a forecourt in front. The setback belongs to the way a large merchant seat presented itself to the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Shojukan Front Gate and Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 396-1 Motoyashiki, Tatsutacho, Gokasho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 4 February 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Gate opening 1.8 metres / fence 136 metres in total length |
| Owner | Private (not disclosed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the public road at any time; grounds open in limited spring and autumn seasons (Merchant Museum, Kyorinbo Betsuin) |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database: Shojukan Front Gate and Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013580
- Merchant Museum, Kyorinbo Betsuin (official temple website)
- https://kyourinbo.jimdofree.com/home/kyorinbo-betsuin-merchant-museum/
Last verified: 2026.09.13
