The main gate of the Japanese Tea Garden was originally commissioned by George Turner Marsh for his home in Mill Valley, CA. When Marsh became responsible for the Japanese Garden at the California Midwinter International Exposition in Golden Gate Park construction of the gate (1893) was rerouted there as the most prominent structure at the Japanese Village. The original design was possibly by Toshio Aoki. Carpenter names associated with the structure are Nakatani and Imai. Names of other carpenters are not known.

The gate was torn down and completely rebuilt in 1985. The design is similar, but not exactly the same as the original. Kensuke Kawata was the designer of the 1985 gate. Craftsmen involved are as follows: Kinshichiro Oide – carpenter, Kiyoshi Omae – carpenter, Teruo Hirayama – carpenter, Takashi Sayama – carpenter, Eiji Ikeda – roof worker, Masao Komiya – roof worker, Hirohito Ono – roof worker, Zentaro Ebukuro – roof worker, Kyomi Taki – roof worker, Kotaro Tochigi – door worker.

Like the original gate, the 1985 reconstruction serves as the entry to the Japanese Tea Garden. Built of hinoki timber, it is a shōrōmon, or Bell Tower gate, and a beautiful example of broad eaves supported by traditional brackets. This is one of a very few examples of roof brackets visible in San Francisco. Besides the brackets, there are a number of examples of timber framing and joinery that are easily visible. The tomo-e symbol can be seen on the clay tiles at the end of the eaves.
Several other structures of note and a carefully tended garden are nearby in the Japanese Tea Garden.

The Japanese Tea Garden is open year round.
For more information visit: https://gggp.org/japanese-tea-garden/