What Is the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate?
The Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate (寒川家住宅小門, Sōgawa-ke Jūtaku Komon) is a small Yakuimon-style gate on the west edge of the Sogawa family homestead in Hidakagawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture; built between 1919 and 1926, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013.
It stands southwest of the annex. Only one bay wide, 2.0 metres across, it has a tiled roof and is flanked on each side by a Sodobei, a short wing of earthen wall.
The gate is normally left unused. It opens when Sogawa Jinja, the shrine just west of the homestead, holds its festival, giving the family who have served the shrine for generations a direct way through. The Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate is where that relationship is written into the plan of the homestead.
Why the Small Gate Was Registered
It qualifies under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, though plain in design, it shows the bond between the homestead and the shrine.
If the front gate displays the family's standing to the village, the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate speaks to its role at the shrine. It is the only one of the seven that connects the house directly to a sacred place outside it.
A Plain Gate for Festival Days
A yakuimon sets a pair of back posts behind the main posts and covers both with a single gabled roof. This one is pared down to a single bay with almost no ornament.
The flanking walls are of earth, unlike the black-plastered walls at the front. The front gate and walls were added together in 1937; this gate and its wings are older, from the last years of the Taisho era.
What matters most here is the direction it faces: west, toward the shrine. On festival days this is the doorway between the priestly household and Sogawa Jinja.
Visiting the Small Gate
The Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate belongs to a private home. It cannot be used, and the grounds cannot be entered; for most of the year it simply stays shut.
Because it sits on the west side of the plot, facing the shrine, it is hard to see from the lane in front of the homestead. Stay outside the grounds, and be considerate of worshippers and residents around the shrine. Directions are on the Sogawa Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate built?
- Between 1919 and 1926, in the late Taisho period. It is older than the front gate and walls.
- What is the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate used for?
- It is kept for comings and goings when Sogawa Jinja, the shrine west of the homestead, holds a festival. It is not used on ordinary days.
- What kind of gate is the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate?
- A one-bay yakuimon gate 2.0 metres wide with a tiled roof, flanked by short earthen walls.
- When was the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate registered?
- On December 24, 2013, together with the six other structures on the Sogawa homestead, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The criterion is its contribution to the historic landscape of the country.
- Can visitors see the Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate?
- It cannot be used and the grounds are private. It sits on the west side of the plot, so it is hard to see from the lane in front.
Basic Information
| Name | Sogawa Family Residence Small Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 273 Sogawa, Hidakagawa-cho, Hidaka-gun, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof; frontage 2.0 metres, with flanking walls on both sides |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior viewable from outside the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 寒川家住宅小門
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009824
- Wakayama Cultural Heritage portal (Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education): Sogawa Family Residence
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-spot-881/
- Hidaka Shimpo: report on the registration recommendation (July 21, 2013)
- https://hidakashimpo.co.jp/?p=22856
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: registration criteria for Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/toroku_yukei_kijun.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
