About the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate (常松家住宅中門, Tsunematsu-ke Jūtaku Nakamon) is a timber gate of the yakuimon type in Gui, Hikawa-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, built around 1874 and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 29, 2019. Its opening is 1.7 meters wide.
The gate is set in a wall that runs south from the center of the main house's front, dividing the space before the house into east and west halves. It is a garden gate: it marks off the front garden of the main house. It was repaired in 1986.
A Yakuimon Built of Zelkova
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate is a Yakuimon, a gate form with a pair of main posts and a pair of rear posts, where the ridge sits between them rather than directly over the main posts. Its roof is gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) and laid with pantiles (Sangawara-buki), and large ridge-end tiles (Onigawara) sit at both ends, giving the small gate a heavy crown.
Every piece of timber is Keyaki, or Japanese zelkova, a hard wood with a handsome grain that temples and shrines have long favored. The front gate, which handles the traffic in and out of the estate, is built of Japanese cedar. The harder, finer-grained wood went into the gate inside the grounds.
Carved Details in the Gable
The gables of the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate carry ornaments including a kabura-gegyo and ketakakushi. A Gegyo is a board hung from the ridge to cover the end of the ridge beam; the kabura type swells at the bottom like a turnip. Ketakakushi are small boards covering the ends of the purlins.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a carefully made garden gate of fine materials that gives the formal front of the old house a dignified finish. The opening is only about half the width of the front gate, yet the middle gate is the more elaborate of the two.
Why It Was Registered
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Of the same date as the main house, it defines the edge of the garden within the formal approach from the front gate to the front door.
Placing a zelkova gate with big ridge tiles and carved gables right beside the front of the main house, where visitors would see it, is what gives the formal front the dignified finish the Agency describes.
Seeing the Middle Gate
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate stands inside the grounds of a private home, in front of the main house, and as of September 2026 we found no notice of openings. We could not confirm whether it is visible from the road.
Close viewing is not possible without entering the property, so please respect the residents' privacy and do not peer through the gates. Directions are on the Tsunematsu Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate built?
- Around 1874. It was repaired in 1986.
- What type of gate is the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate?
- A yakuimon with a gabled pantile roof and an opening 1.7 meters wide. Large ridge-end tiles sit at both ends of the roof.
- What wood is the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate made of?
- All of its timber is Japanese zelkova (keyaki). The front gate, by contrast, is built of Japanese cedar.
- What decorates the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate?
- Its gables carry a turnip-shaped gegyo board and ketakakushi covers on the purlin ends. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a carefully made garden gate of fine materials.
- Can visitors see the Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate?
- It stands inside the grounds of a private home, and we found no official information about openings. We could not confirm whether it is visible from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate (常松家住宅中門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 333 Horikawa, Gui, Hikawa-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Opening width 1.7 meters (timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (inside the grounds of a private home) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012800
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tsunematsu Family Residence Middle Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/446623
- Agency for Cultural Affairs press release on new Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (recommendation of November 16, 2018, in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/12/14/a1411175_01_1.pdf
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) (in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
