A 4.4-Metre Wall Around the Shoin
The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅書院北・東側土塀) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, are tile-capped earthen walls built around 1905 to enclose the north and east sides of the shoin reception wing on a soy sauce brewing family's estate, and they were entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018. They run 36.2 metres and stand 4.4 metres high.
Most garden walls in Japanese houses rise a little above head height. At 4.4 metres these tower over the eaves of a one-storey building and approach the height of a two-storey storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes them as high walls built against theft and fire.
The shoin itself dates from 1905, so the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls can reasonably be read as the defensive shell planned together with the reception wing.
Mortar Outside, Lime Plaster Inside
The walls turn at a right angle around the north and east of the shoin and are capped with Sangawara-buki pantiles. On the east side the wall steps down in height toward its southern end.
The striking thing is that the two faces are finished quite differently. The outside has buttresses to stop the wall leaning and a stepped cornice under the eaves, all rendered in mortar. The inside is Shinkabe construction with the posts exposed and the panels finished in Shikkui lime plaster.
The public face is hard, smooth mortar; the face seen from the shoin is traditional plaster between timbers. From outside the wall reads as a fortification, from inside as a backdrop for the reception rooms, and a single wall was made to do both jobs.
A Pair of High Walls
The estate has one more wall over 4 metres high: the brick wall in the northwest that links the Shingura and Okubunko storehouses, more than 4.2 metres tall and dated to around 1892. Chiba Prefecture presents the brick wall and these earthen walls together as high walls built against theft and fire. One in brick, one in earth, timber and mortar, the two guard the northern side of the property.
South of the shoin, by contrast, a light decorative board fence encloses the garden. The registration number here is 12-264, and the walls were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting
These walls enclose a private home and cannot be visited from inside the property. If they are visible from outside at all, what you would see is the mortar face with its buttresses and cornice. Which streets give a view, and how much of one, has not been confirmed; any view would be of the outer face, from beyond the property line.
Please avoid photographing over the walls into the house. Kotohira Shrine next door opens on the 10th of every month, but the walls are not part of that visit. Directions are on the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I see the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls?
- You cannot enter the property to see them. They enclose a private home; if they can be seen from outside, it is the mortar-rendered outer face.
- How tall are the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls?
- They are 4.4 metres high and 36.2 metres long, built as a defence against theft and fire.
- When were the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls built?
- Around 1905, at the same time as the shoin they enclose.
- Are the two faces of the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls different?
- Yes. The outside has buttresses and a cornice and is finished in mortar; the inside shows its posts and is finished in lime plaster.
- Where on the estate are the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls?
- They wrap the north and east sides of the shoin in an L; the east wall steps down toward its southern end.
Basic Information
| Name | Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shoin North and East Earthen Walls (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅書院北・東側土塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 339 Aza Higashinakamachi and others, Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 12-264, criterion: contributing to the historic landscape |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/3/27 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 36 metres long (36.2 metres per the Agency's description), 4.4 metres high |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence; grounds closed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 茂木七郎右衛門家住宅書院北・東側土塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012119
- Chiba Prefecture: Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Main House and Others (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-103.html
- Noda City: Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1017161.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
