Brick Gateposts under a Curving Tiled Roof
The Hirano Family Residence Gate (平野家住宅門, Hirano-ke Jūtaku Mon) is a brick gate with brick walls on either side, built around 1922 in Nishikata, Bunkyo City, Tokyo, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 September 1998. It is roofed with tiles.
It forms the street front of the Hirano Family Residence designed by Yasuoka Katsuya, set between the guest wing of the main house and the Western-style block. Its northern wing wall is butted against the Western-style house, so the Hirano Family Residence Gate, the wall and the annex present one continuous face.
Why It Was Listed: Brick Meets Tile
The gateposts are built of brick and rendered in mortar, and they carry a tiled roof with an upswept curve. Western material for the posts, a Japanese curve for the roof. The double wooden doors include a wicket door cut into one leaf.
The flanking walls are also mortar-rendered brick, braced by buttresses on the garden side: flat to the street, ribbed on the inside. It was registered under the criterion for buildings that set a standard of design, as a gate standing between the Japanese and Western parts of the house and borrowing from both.
What to Look For: The South End of the Wall
Follow the wall south from the Hirano Family Residence Gate and you reach a garage. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this was once the entrance to the tea room, where the tea room gate originally stood before it was moved inside the grounds. The length of the wall and the position of the garage still hint at how the formal gate and the tea entrance once worked as a pair.
Look too at where the flat mortar of the posts meets the curve of the roof, and at the wicket door. Everyday comings and goings, without swinging open the big doors, were built into the design.
Visiting
The Hirano Family Residence Gate faces the lane and is one of the easiest parts of the property to see from outside. It is still the gate of a private home, so do not linger in front of the doors or touch them, and keep clear of the garage entrance.
Directions are on the Hirano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Can you see the Hirano Family Residence Gate?
- Yes, from the lane, since it faces the street. The grounds behind it are private and cannot be entered.
- How is the Hirano Family Residence Gate built?
- Mortar-rendered brick posts carry a curving tiled roof, with double wooden doors, one fitted with a wicket door, and brick walls on both sides.
- What is the garage south of the Hirano Family Residence Gate?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it occupies the old entrance to the tea room, where the tea room gate once stood.
- When was the Hirano Family Residence Gate built?
- Around 1922. It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 September 1998.
- What are the registration number and date of the Hirano Family Residence Gate?
- It is registration no. 13-0025, entered in the eleventh round of listings on 2 September 1998.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirano Family Residence Gate (平野家住宅門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-9-12 Nishikata, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/9/2 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, tiled roof, with brick walls on both sides |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Grounds closed; the exterior is visible from the lane |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 平野家住宅門 (Hirano Family Residence Gate)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000644
- Cultural Heritage Online: 平野家住宅門
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/207796
- Bunkyo City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in the ward (Japanese)
- https://www.city.bunkyo.lg.jp/b047/p004380.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
