What Is the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate?
The Zaima Family Residence Main Gate (財間家住宅本門, Zaima-ke Jūtaku Honmon) is a late Meiji-period (1898 to 1911) Udekimon bracket-arm gate on Honmachi-dori in Ushiroda, Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2010.
It opens onto the street just north of the main house and served as the formal entrance to the Zaima Family Residence. The timber gate is 1.7 meters wide, has a tiled roof, and is flanked by short Sodobei walls on both sides.
Why the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate Was Registered
The Zaima Family Residence Main Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, under registration number 32-0125. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that together with the main house and the Heya-no-kura storehouse it gives the property a dignified, solid frontage. It stands in the middle of those three, linking the shopfront of the house with the storehouse.
Tsuwano's board of education explains that townhouses on Honmachi-dori customarily set a front gate for guests beside the shop. The Zaima main gate stands in exactly that position, beside the shopfront of the main house, with the garden opening up behind it.
How the Zaima Main Gate Is Built
The Zaima Family Residence Main Gate is a one-bay udekimon. Its two main posts are tied near the top by a Magusa lintel, and bracket arms pass through the posts to project front and back, carrying the purlins that support the eaves. Walk around to the side and the reach of the arms is easy to see.
The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in pan tiles over a single layer of widely spaced rafters. The ridge is built up in wachigai, tiles set to form a chain of interlocking rings, a fine detail for so small a gate.
The double doors are made as Sankarado on the street face, framed panel doors of a kind also found on temple gates. They give the gate its formal face toward Honmachi-dori.
According to the description of the Zaima Garden, just inside the front gate is a small forecourt where large stones are set around a lantern and a pine. The gate is also the way into the household's garden.
Seeing the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate
Because the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate faces Honmachi-dori, you can see it from the street. The area inside the gate, including the forecourt, is private and not open to the public. Look at the doors and the ring-patterned ridge from straight in front, and step to one side to see the bracket arms. Please keep photographs to the exterior from the street. Directions are on the page for the Zaima Family Residence.
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Q&A
- What kind of gate is the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate?
- A one-bay bracket-arm gate (udekimon) of the late Meiji period (1898 to 1911), 1.7 meters wide, with short walls on both sides.
- When was the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate registered?
- On September 10, 2010, for its contribution to the historic landscape, as registration number 32-0125.
- What details should I look for on the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate?
- The bracket arms projecting front and back, the ring-patterned wachigai ridge, and the framed panel doors on the street side.
- Where is the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate?
- On Honmachi-dori, immediately north of the main house of the Zaima Family Residence.
- Can I walk through the Zaima Family Residence Main Gate?
- No. The ground inside is private, so the gate is seen from Honmachi-dori.
Basic Information
| Name | Zaima Family Residence Main Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | Ha 38 and others, Ushiroda Aza Honmachi, Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Opening 1.7 m, with walls on both sides |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from Honmachi-dori) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Zaima Family Residence Main Gate (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008333
- Cultural Heritage Online: Zaima Garden (in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/259342
- Tsuwano Culture Portal (Tsuwano Board of Education): Tsuwano Preservation District (in Japanese)
- https://tsuwano-bunka.net/cultural-property/detail_hozon-area/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
