About the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall
The Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall (浅井銃砲火薬店塀, Asai Jūhō Kayakuten Hei) is an early Showa board fence built between 1926 and 1945 in Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. It runs along the southwest side of the Asai compound, turning a corner as it goes, and encloses the front garden of the shop and main house.
The wall is built of timber with a metal-sheet roof and is 18 meters long in total. The Agency for Cultural Affairs classes it as a structure other than a building. It was registered on the same day as the shop and main house and the storehouse, and the three together make up the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store compound.
Why the Wall Was Registered
The Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency writes that its quiet, composed presence enhances the view of a corner plot. Because it bends around the corner, the fence is seen from two directions at once, and those 18 meters wrapping the edge of the property shape the character of the street corner.
The Council for Cultural Affairs, recommending registration on November 15, 2013, named the fence bending along the southwest, together with the storehouse to the north, as part of what lets the main house set off the streetscape. On the inner side lies the front garden, which the guest parlour of the main house overlooks. The fence screens the garden from the street and, seen from inside, frames the parlour's view.
Reading the Fence from the Ground Up
The Asai fence is easiest to understand from the bottom up. It rests on a base about 1 meter high, finished in mortar Araidashi, a technique in which the surface cement is washed away before it sets so that the small stones in the mix stand out. Up close the base has a grainy, pebbled texture.
A sill is laid along the top of the base and the posts rise from it. Between the posts the boards are fixed in Yamato-bari fashion, nailed alternately to the front and back of the rails so that the face of the fence steps in and out in vertical bands. Above the boards a narrow upper panel holds a row of lattice windows, through which the garden behind can just be sensed.
At the top, Udeki brackets projecting from the posts carry an eave beam, and Taruki rafters laid across it support the metal roofing. A small eave thus runs the length of the fence and keeps rain off the boards. Stone-textured base, stepped boards, lattice and roof: each band changes material and finish, and that layering is what to look for.
Seeing the Asai Wall
Because the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall stands on the property line, its outer face can be seen from the public road. The pebbled base, the stepped boards and the lattice windows read best at close range. The front garden and guest parlour inside are not open to the public, and the grounds cannot be entered.
To take in how the fence turns the corner, step back to a point where both faces are in view. Please photograph only from the road and refrain from peering through the lattice windows.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gifu
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall
- [ Shirakawago & Takayama Old Town Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa era, 1926 to 1945, without giving a more precise year.
- Why is the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Its composed board fence enhances the view of a corner plot and contributes to the historic landscape. It was registered on April 25, 2014.
- How long is the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall?
- It is 18 meters long in total, bending along the southwest side of the plot to enclose the front garden.
- What should I look for on the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall?
- The mortar araidashi base about 1 meter high, the yamato-bari boards, the row of lattice windows in the upper panel and the small bracketed roof.
- Can I enter the garden behind the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall?
- No. The front garden and guest parlour are not open to the public. The outer face of the fence can be seen from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 1196-1 Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, metal-sheet roof; total length 18 meters; base about 1 meter high |
| Owner | Unknown (the Agency's owner field is blank) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (outer face visible from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009957
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council recommendation for Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, November 15, 2013 (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/bunkasingi_tousin_131115.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.03
