What the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate Is
The Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate (旧堀田古城園木戸門, Kyū-Hotta Kojōen Kido-mon) is a timber gate with a tiled roof built in 1933 in Ote, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
It stands at the northwest corner of the former restaurant grounds, facing the street, under a gabled roof of pantiles. The opening is 2.4 metres wide, and the national database files it not as a building but as a structure.
Between the posts hangs a wooden plaque reading Hotta Kojoen, so the gate doubled as the restaurant's signboard.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the frontage of a former restaurant inn standing on the site of the Takeda clan residence.
The row building continues east from the gate, and together they make up the north edge of the grounds. This was the first thing a guest walked through, and it set the tone for everything behind it.
The carpentry is modest in scale but careful. Square main posts are braced front and back by secondary posts. Brackets inserted into the posts, topped with square bearing blocks, carry projecting arms, and those arms support the eave beam under the gable roof.
What to Look For
Seen square-on from the street, the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate reads as a single composition: sliding lattice doors between the posts with the name plaque above. The lattice lets you glimpse the garden beyond, a restaurant entrance that invites rather than shuts out.
Look up under the eaves to see how the inserted brackets and bearing blocks take the weight of the arms. Because the bracing posts stand both in front and behind, the gate is deeper than it first appears when you view it from the side.
The restoring architects report that the ridge-end tile on the descending ridge at the left, as you face the gate, is original and can be seen in a commemorative photograph taken when the restaurant was new. It is worth a glance up at the roof edge.
Visiting the Kido Gate
As an outdoor structure, the gate can be seen from the street and from inside the grounds. The plaque and lattice doors are best from the street; the bracing posts and bracket work show more clearly from the garden side.
The other Former Hotta Kojoen buildings require a permit for interior visits, but the whole gate can be taken in from outside.
Directions, opening days and fees for the whole site are on the Former Hotta Kojoen page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate
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Q&A
- When was the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate built and registered?
- It was built in 1933 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
- How is the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate built?
- It is a timber gate with a gabled pantile roof and an opening 2.4 metres wide. Square posts are braced front and back, inserted brackets and bearing blocks carry the arms that support the eave beam, and sliding lattice doors fill the opening.
- What does the plaque on the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate say?
- It reads Hotta Kojoen, the name of the restaurant inn that opened here.
- Can I see the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate at any time?
- The street side can be seen from the road. To view it from inside the grounds, visit during the opening hours of the Takeda Clan Residence Site History Museum.
- Does any original material survive on the Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate?
- According to the restoring architects, the ridge-end tile on the left descending ridge is original and appears in a commemorative photograph from the restaurant's early days.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 3735-1 Ote 3-chome, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/2/4 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, frontage 2.4 metres |
| Owner | Kofu City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the street; from inside the grounds during opening hours |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013542
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/594919
- Kofu City: Takeda Clan Residence Site History Museum (Shingen Museum)
- https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/rekishi_bunkazai/kofu-takedashirekishikan.html
- Alcedo Atthis Architects: Main House restoration, Takeda Clan Residence Site History Museum
- https://www.alcedo-atthis.com/s-museum/kojo/kojo.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
