Fukuda Family Residence West Gate (Fukudake Jūtaku Nishimon)
Set apart from the formal entrance on the front stone wall, a smaller gate opens on the western side of the Fukuda farmstead in the Samoto district of Susami. It was built around 1913, in the early Taishō years, and altered again in the early Shōwa period. Where the main gate announces arrival, this west gate served the quieter daily traffic of a working mountain household along the old Koza Kaidō.
It is an udegimon, carried on posts braced by projecting arms, with a frontage of about 1.7 meters, narrower than the main gate. An L-shaped wing wall returns from one side to tie the gate into the boundary. The piece most worth seeking out is the transom, carved with bamboo and chrysanthemum, a touch of ornament on an otherwise plain service entrance.
Why It Is Registered
The Fukuda estate was entered in the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties in February 2012, valued as a complete compound rather than for any one building. Its structures span the late Edo period through the Taishō era and survive in their planned arrangement around a main house of 1901. The west gate is one of the smaller pieces of that group, and it was registered under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.
A second gate on the western flank tells you something about how the household worked. The main gate on the front wall handled formal approach and display, while this narrower entrance carried the ordinary comings and goings. Keeping both, and keeping them distinct, is part of why the estate reads so clearly as a planned whole.
What to Look For
Look closely at the carved transom. Bamboo and chrysanthemum are old and well-loved motifs in Japanese ornament, and finding them on a side gate, rather than only on the formal one, shows a household willing to spend care on a working part of the grounds. The L-shaped wing wall is the other detail to register, the way it bends to lock the gate into the line of the enclosure.
The estate is not generally open to the public. The front stone wall and the main gate above it are the rewarding view from the old road; the west gate sits to the side and is harder to see from outside. The Susami Town History and Folklore Museum has mounted exhibitions on the Fukuda house and arranged occasional viewings, so it is the place to ask before planning a visit.
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Q&A
- How does the west gate differ from the main gate?
- It is smaller, with a frontage of about 1.7 meters against the main gate's 2.4 meters, and it served daily use rather than formal arrival. Its distinctive feature is a transom carved with bamboo and chrysanthemum.
- When was it built?
- Around 1913, in the early Taishō period, with later alterations in the early Shōwa years. It is among the newer parts of the estate.
- What is the carved transom?
- A panel above the gate opening worked with bamboo and chrysanthemum designs. It lends a note of ornament to what is otherwise a plain working entrance.
- What is the wall attached to the gate?
- An L-shaped wing wall (sodebei) that returns from one side of the gate to tie it into the boundary of the grounds.
- Can I visit?
- The estate is privately held and not regularly open. Viewings have been arranged through the Susami Town History and Folklore Museum, so inquire there. The main front wall is visible from the old Koza Kaidō.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukuda Family Residence West Gate (Fukudake Jūtaku Nishimon) |
|---|---|
| Location | 115 Samoto Higashi-kurigaito, Susami Town, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registered 23 February 2012 |
| Date | Around 1913 (early Taishō); altered in the early Shōwa period |
| Count and size | 1 building; udegimon, frontage approx. 1.7 m, with an L-shaped wing wall |
| Structure | Wood; transom carved with bamboo and chrysanthemum |
| Owner | Private (Fukuda family) |
| Access | Not regularly open; occasional viewings via the Susami Town History and Folklore Museum |
References
- National Database of Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Fukuda Family Residence West Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009215
- Kii Minpō (AGARA): Town residents tour the Fukuda Family Residence in Samoto, Susami
- https://www.agara.co.jp/article/420041
Last verified: 2026.06.25