Historic Japanese Buildings & Structures
Mas Imazumi Gate was built by Hiroshi Sakaguchi of Occidental, CA in 1999. The structure is made of Port Orford cedar and redwood. It’s located at Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, CA and is open year round to the public.
Hakone Chu Mon (central gate), is a Shoin Style Gate, built in 1937 by traditionally trained Japanese craftsmen. The structure is based on proportions and design scale developed in the earliest Chinese history, and further refined in Japan during the Edo Period (1602-1860). The unusual use of California Coastal Redwood for the entire structure, points to the Nishiura brothers’ desire to create a large authentic Japanese style gate structure using native woods of California. The main elements include ornate carved gable-ends topping the shingle roof, and wide wooden gate-panels highlighting the old-growth redwood. The twelve-foot wide gate also has a central support post, and heavy timber frame. The Hakone Gate has been listed on the National Register of Historic structures since 1984.