The Main Gate onto the Chizu Road
The Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall (米原家住宅上門及び塀) is a Yakuimon gate with walls of the early Taishō period (1912 to 1918) in Chizu, Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber gate with a tiled roof, 4.0 metres wide, and timber walls roofed in tile, 22 metres in total length; registration number 31-0200.
A Gate onto the Chizu Road
The Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall opens onto the Chizu Ōrai road, east of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a yakuimon three bays wide with one opening, its rear posts, or Hikaebashira, placed on the street side, and from them the walls run off to either side. The roof is gabled and tiled.
The double plank doors carry large Happō kanamono strap fittings, and the ceiling of the gate is lined with wide boards of Oki cedar (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Chizu Town calls it an imposing gate and dates it to the early Taishō years, which makes it the latest of the four registered structures.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes it as an imposing gate and wall, with wide Oki cedar in the ceiling, that gives order to the view along the Chizu Ōrai; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
On the ridge, half-round tiles are laid in interlocking rings, and a cross-shaped crest is set among them (Agency for Cultural Affairs). With the large strap fittings on the plank doors, this is the decoration that gives the gate its face.
The Oki cedar of the ceiling comes from the Oki Islands of Shimane Prefecture, and the Agency makes a point of the width of the boards.
Visiting
The Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall faces the Chizu Ōrai and can be seen from the street. No official information was found on entering the gate or the grounds, or on photography.
Q&A
- When was the Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate built?
- In the early Taishō period, 1912 to 1918 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chizu Town).
- What kind of gate is the Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate?
- A yakuimon three bays wide with one opening, with walls running off to either side.
- What should I look for on the Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate?
- The cross crest on the ridge, the strap fittings on the doors and the wide Oki cedar ceiling boards.
- How large is the Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall?
- The gate is 4.0 metres wide and the walls are 22 metres long in total (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall registered?
- On December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall (米原家住宅上門及び塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 546 Chizu, Chizu Town, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 (gate and walls) |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tiled roof, 4.0 m wide; walls: timber, tiled roof, 22 m in total |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no official opening information) |
References
- Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010344
- Yonehara Family Residence Upper Gate and Wall (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/211207
- Chizu Town cultural property map: Yonehara Family Residence (Chizu Town, Japanese)
- https://stroly.com/maps/1610427898?lang=ja
Last verified: 2026.10.19
