Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Toyama

Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate

Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate: A Farmer's Yakuimon

A fairly large wooden yakuimon gate of 1868 in Toyama with bending roofed walls, thatched until 1941; a rare Edo-period farmhouse gate, registered in 1998.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Toyama

About the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate (旧内山家住宅表門, Kyū-Uchiyama-ke Jūtaku Omotemon) is a wooden Yakuimon gate built in 1868 at 903 Miyao, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate stands roughly in the middle of the western boundary of the estate and dates from the same year as the main house. Roofed walls attached on either side turn a corner as they run away from it.

A Rare Gate for a Farming Family

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate was registered as a structure that would be hard to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that a surviving gate built for an Edo-period farming household is unusual, and that this one speaks of the family's prosperity at the time.

A yakuimon carries its roof on main posts with a second pair of posts behind them, and was typically used by samurai houses and temples. That a family of village headmen put up a fairly large one at the front of their estate says a good deal about their standing.

From Thatch to Tile

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate was originally thatched. According to the Agency, the roof was changed to pantiles in 1941.

The walls on either side do not run straight; they bend partway along. Centred on the gate, they wrap the front of the estate and give it breadth as seen from the road.

Seeing the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate

At the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate, look from the front at the pairing of main and rear posts, then walk round to the side to see how the ridge sits behind the main posts rather than directly over them, the mark of a yakuimon. Step back to take in the angle at which the walls turn.

Opening days and admission are on the Former Uchiyama Family Residence (Toyama) page. No official guidance on photography could be found as of September 2026, so ask at the reception.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Toyama: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate; [ Kurobe Gorge Train & Tateyama Alpine Route ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1868, the same year as the main house.

QWhat kind of gate is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate?: AA fairly large wooden yakuimon gate, with roofed walls on both sides that turn a corner.

QWhy is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?: AIt was registered in 1998 as hard to reproduce, being a rare surviving gate of an Edo-period farming household that shows the family's prosperity.

QWas the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate always tiled?: ANo. It was thatched until 1941, when the roof was changed to pantiles.

QWhere is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate?: ARoughly in the middle of the estate's western boundary.

Basic Information

Name	Former Uchiyama Family Residence Front Gate (旧内山家住宅表門)
Location	903 Miyao, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	1998 (registered)
Quantity	1 structure
Dimensions	Wooden yakuimon gate, tiled roof, with attached walls
Owner	Toyama Prefecture
Public Access	Open (admission charged, as Gōnō no Yakata Uchiyama-tei)