What komayose means
A komayose is a low fence of posts or lattice standing in front of the projecting lattice or wall of a townhouse. Adding an outer enclosure beyond the lattice gives the frontage depth and dignity and keeps pedestrians and carts from knocking against the lattice. The name, horse-drawing-in, is said to come from an origin as a rail for tethering or holding horses.
Forms range from simple posts joined by rails to refined versions whose posts are finished with the rippled adze marks of naguri work. It differs from the Inuyarai, which curves at the foot of the wall, in being an upright fence.
Reading the records and the street
Records usually mention it with the projecting lattice. The middle main house of the former Ishibashi family in Hikone, Shiga, has a projecting lattice across the front of its raised rooms enclosed by a komayose, and is described as a townhouse of dignified appearance. The main house of the former Tada family in Otsu, Shiga, a townhouse three and a half bays wide, has a projecting lattice on the south of its front enclosed by a komayose, showing features of Otsu townhouses. The main house of the former residence of the cloisonné artist Namikawa Yasuyuki in Kyoto, an omoteya-zukuri townhouse, presents a traditional Kyoto frontage of deep eaves, slit windows and a komayose finished in naguri.
On site, look for a second, lower fence in front of the projecting lattice. The finish of the posts and the height of the fence help in reading a townhouse's status and regional character.
References
- 旧石橋家住宅中主屋｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009628
- 旧多田家住宅主屋｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010317
- 旧並河靖之邸主屋｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002414
Last verified: 2026.09.27