A Flood Wall Around a Weaving Mill
The Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall (小林家住宅（旧小武織物有限会社）石垣) is a flood-defense wall built around 1953 in Hirosawa-cho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on October 7, 2014. It wraps the south and west sides of a small family-run silk mill and the house beside it.
The national database records it as stonework 82 metres long in total, about 1.5 metres high and about 1.2 metres wide at the base. It is built of rounded river cobbles set in concrete, with the joints pointed thick and proud of the stone face. It is classed not as a building but as an other structure, and counted as 1 structure.
At the gate the wall turns inward. Both warehouses stand on top of it, and a board fence runs along the southern stretch. Most of what a passer-by sees of the Kobayashi Family Residence is, in fact, this wall.
Why It Was Registered
The Kobayashi Family Residence stone wall was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as built after typhoon flooding to protect the factory and the house.
The property sits on the south bank of the Watarase River, on the lowest of the river terraces below central Kiryu. The Kiryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry identifies the storm as Typhoon Kathleen, which swept the Watarase basin in September 1947 and caused severe damage.
The national database dates the wall to around 1953, several years after that flood. For a mill holding looms, yarn and pattern cards, high water threatened the livelihood as much as the home, and the family answered by ringing both inside one continuous wall.
What to Look For
Up close, what stands out is how round the stones are. These are not dressed blocks but cobbles of the kind found on a riverbed, so every stone keeps its own bulge. Concrete fills the gaps and the joints stand out in front of the stone faces: traditional cobble walling, bound with concrete.
At about 1.5 metres the wall reaches roughly chest to shoulder height on an adult, and along the south side the fence above turns it into a two-tier frontage of stone and timber. The turn at the gate is where the change in line is easiest to read.
The base, about 1.2 metres thick, is broad for a wall of this height, in keeping with a wall meant to hold back water.
Visiting
The Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall forms the outer edge of a private property. It can be seen from outside, but please do not climb on it or lean against it. No open days or tours could be found as of September 2026.
The southern stretch, which turns at the gate together with the fence, is the most visible of the six registered structures. Photograph from the road or elsewhere outside the property, and avoid pointing a camera at residents or into the grounds for long. Directions are on the Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- Why was the Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall built?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was built after typhoon flooding to protect the factory and the house. The Kiryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry names the storm as Typhoon Kathleen of September 1947.
- How big is the Kobayashi Family Residence Stone Wall?
- It runs 82 metres in total along the south and west sides, stands about 1.5 metres high and is about 1.2 metres wide at the base.
- When was the Kobayashi Family Residence Stone Wall built?
- The national database dates it to around 1953.
- Can I see the Kobayashi Family Residence Stone Wall?
- Yes, from outside. It forms the edge of a private property, so please do not climb on it or enter the grounds.
- When was the Kobayashi Family Residence Stone Wall registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014, as number 10-0317, counted as 1 structure.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 1111-9 Fukushima, Hirosawa-cho 5, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building, other structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/10/7 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | 82 metres long in total, about 1.5 metres high, about 1.2 metres wide at the base (stone) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Visible from outside (grounds not open) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Stone Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010108
- Kiryu City: Kobayashi Family Residence (6 properties) (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1011321.html
- Kiryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Former Kotake Textile (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.kiryucci.or.jp/FT/2013fukei/2013fukei-kotake.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
