What the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate is
The Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate (判屋船越家住宅裏門, Hanya Funakoshi-ke Jūtaku Uramon) is a late Meiji-period (1898 to 1912) Munamon, or ridge-roofed gate, that faces south between the east and west storehouses on the south edge of the Funakoshi property in Tenjinmachi, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. The gate is built of timber with a pantiled roof and is 2.7 meters wide.
The Funakoshi property places the main house on the street, a garden in the middle and two storehouses along the south side. Yonago City notes that the rear gate stands between those storehouses and marks the boundary with the land behind. Where the main house's big street door is the front entrance, this gate opens from the back of the estate.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the gate to the late Meiji period, which matches the rebuilding of the property that Seitarō Funakoshi, the eleventh head of the family, carried out over three years from 1900.
Why the Funakoshi rear gate was registered
The Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a rear gate that, though small, shows the standing of an old family.
At 2.7 meters across it is a modest gate. Yet it has a proper roof, carved brackets, a transom and a coat of red Bengara over its frame and eaves. The agency reads that level of finish, applied to a gate at the back of the property, as an expression of the household's status as long-established shipping agents.
How the Hanya Funakoshi rear gate is built
As a munamon, the Hanya Funakoshi rear gate carries its roof directly on two main posts. Between the posts hang a pair of plank doors, and above the door head is a Ranma transom filled with horizontal slats, which lets light and air through even when the gate is shut.
The eaves rest on two tiers of Udeki brackets projecting from the posts. The lower tier is carved with a decorative pattern known as eyō, and together the two tiers support the eave beam. The underside of the eaves is where this small gate puts on its show; the Agency for Cultural Affairs database includes a photograph of it in which the stacked brackets are clearly visible.
The posts, doors and other framing members, as well as the eaves, are all finished in bengara, a red pigment based on iron oxide that both protects and decorates the wood. Set between the white plastered walls of the two storehouses, the gate stands out in red.
Seeing the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate
The Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate is part of a private home, and visitors cannot go through it. It faces south toward the back of the property, while what can be seen from the street on the main-house side is the front of the main house.
Whether the land on the outer side of the gate borders a public road has not been confirmed. If you do find a spot where the gate is visible, please do not linger in front of the doors, peer inside or step onto the property. Directions to the site are on the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I see the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate?
- You cannot enter the property. The Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate is at the back of a private home, and it has not been confirmed whether it can be seen from a public road.
- When was the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912), the same time as the rebuilding of the property that Yonago City says began in 1900.
- What kind of gate is the Hanya Funakoshi rear gate?
- It is a munamon, a gate whose roof sits directly on two main posts. Its eaves are supported by two tiers of brackets, the lower tier carved.
- Why is the Hanya Funakoshi rear gate painted red?
- Its framing and eaves are finished in bengara, a red pigment based on iron oxide that protects the timber and gives it color.
- Why is the Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 14, 2021, as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as a small gate that shows the standing of an old family.
Basic Information
| Name | Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | Tenjinmachi 2-chome 37 and other lots, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 14, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Wooden, tiled roof, frontage 2.7 m |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open (within a private property) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence Rear Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014084
- Yonago City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, Hanya Funakoshi Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yonago.lg.jp/36781.htm
- Street Museum: Yonago Castle, supervised by Yonago City (Japanese)
- https://www.streetmuseum.jp/historic-site/shiro/2026/10/14/295/
Last verified: 2026.10.14
