University of Tokyo Seeking Donations for Work on Famous Akamon Gate; Plans to Reinforce Structure Against Earthquakes, Reopen It in 2027

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, December 3, 2024

The University of Tokyo has begun soliciting donations for planned work on the famous Akamon red gate on its Hongo campus in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. They intend to refit it for greater seismic resistance and reopen it in 2027, the 150th anniversary of the university’s founding.

The gate, a government-designated important cultural property whose name is synonymous with the University of Tokyo, has been closed since February 2021 to undergo seismic performance tests and improve its resistance to earthquakes.

The project also includes setting up an area where citizens can learn the history of the gate among other matters.

The gate was built on the grounds of an estate belonging to the Kaga domain in 1827, when a daughter of Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, married the domain lord.

Although the estate later became a campus of the University of Tokyo, the gate remained in place and was never demolished, even surviving the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and the Tokyo air raids during World War II. It is the oldest extant structure on the campus.

The gate was closed in February 2021 after problems were detected with its ability to withstand earthquakes. Subsequent investigations revealed that the structure could collapse in a major earthquake or strong winds, potentially hurting pedestrians. The decision was made to start seismic reinforcement work from next fiscal year or later.

The work could not be started immediately due to the nationwide shortage of specialists able to restore cultural properties, combined with the increase in properties needing restoration work in the wake of recent natural disasters.

At the same time, there have been many requests for the gate to be reopened.

So the university launched the “Hirake! Akamon Project” (Open! Red gate project), with the goal of reopening the gate in 2027, which will also mark the 200th anniversary of its original construction.

The plan includes reinforcing the bases of the gate’s columns and making the roof lighter. It also includes widening the sidewalk near the gate on the campus side to create what is tentatively called the “Akamon Road,” and establishing a small plaza where tourists and locals will be able to gather. A large sunshade will also be set up, under which remnants from old buildings excavated in the area, as well as historical materials related to the university, will be put on display.

The university estimates that the entire project, including the seismic refitting, will cost about \1.4 billion in total.

The university has set a goal of raising \1 billion of this through public donations, which it has started accepting via its website. Depending on the amount donated, donors can receive gifts in return, such as a towel with an Akamon gate motif and a Lego kit of the gate, produced under the supervision of Jumpei Mitsui, a graduate of the university and founder of its Lego club.

Atsushi Tsuda, the university’s executive vice president in charge of the 150th anniversary project, said: “We want to make the project an opportunity to share the history of the Akamon gate and the University of Tokyo, and the modern and contemporary history of Japan, with citizens.”