What Is the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall?
The Kato Family Residence Brick Wall (加藤家住宅煉瓦塀, Katō-ke Jūtaku Renga-bei) is a late Meiji period brick boundary wall on the old Gyotoku Kaido road in Hongyotoku, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010. It encloses the lot of the Kato family, salt merchants, and is 34 meters long in total, counted in the register as one structure.
It stands beside the main house, registered the same day, so along the road a run of red brick follows straight on from a timber Japanese-style house.
A Wall That Turns a Corner and Changes Height
The Kato Family Residence Brick Wall starts on the northern part of the east side of the lot and turns a right angle to follow the boundary with the neighboring plot. There is a gate partway along.
Its height varies. The road side is 2.1 meters high, as is the middle of the stretch along the neighbor's boundary; everywhere else it rises to 2.8 meters. The side facing the street is kept low, and most of the boundary side is taller.
Flemish Bond and Buttresses
The wall of the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall is one brick thick, laid in what Japanese builders call French bond (furansu-zumi) and English speakers know as Flemish bond: in every course the bricks alternate between the long face, the stretcher, and the short end, the header. Each course is offset from the one below, so the face of the wall shows a steady checkerboard-like rhythm of long and short. Compare English bond, English bond, where whole courses of stretchers and whole courses of headers are stacked in turn.
A single brick's thickness is not much for a wall this tall, so Hikaebashira buttress piers stand on the inner side. The top courses are laid in a small roof shape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the wall as number 12-0148 for its contribution to the historic landscape, noting the distinctive streetscape it creates.
Seeing the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall
The Kato Family Residence Brick Wall belongs to a private property, and only its outer face is visible, from the old Gyotoku Kaido road. The buttresses are on the inside and cannot be seen from the street.
The road-side section is 2.1 meters high, close enough to eye level to make out the bond and the little roof-shaped coping. Rather than peering at the mortar joints, stand back on the far side of the road; the alternating long and short faces show up better from a few meters away. Please do not step inside the gate or onto the property.
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Q&A
- When was the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall built?
- In the late Meiji period, the same period as the main house.
- How long and how high is the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall?
- It is 34 meters long in total. The road side and the middle of the neighbor's boundary are 2.1 meters high, and the rest is 2.8 meters.
- What brick bond does the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall use?
- It is one brick thick in Flemish bond, called French bond in Japan, with stretchers and headers alternating in each course. Buttress piers stand on the inner side.
- When did the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 28 April 2010, together with the main house, for the distinctive streetscape it creates.
- Can I visit the Kato Family Residence Brick Wall?
- It is on private property, so you can only see the outer face from the old Gyotoku Kaido road. The grounds are not open.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Family Residence Brick Wall (加藤家住宅煉瓦塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-1 Hongyotoku, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 12-0148 |
| Year Designated | Registered 28 April 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick, total length 34 meters, height 2.1 meters to 2.8 meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open (outer face visible from the old Gyotoku Kaido) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kato Family Residence Brick Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008098
- Kato Family Residence Main House and Brick Wall (Chiba Prefectural Board of Education, in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-008.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Ichikawa (Ichikawa City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.ichikawa.lg.jp/page/4202.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
