A side gate and tall wall on the southern edge
The Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls (コヤノ美術館西脇館（旧藤井家住宅）主屋南脇門及び塀, shuoku minami wakimon oyobi hei) in Ichihara-cho, Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture, is a late Meiji-period side gate and wall listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on November 17, 2015. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to between 1898 and 1912 and registers gate and wall together as one structure.
The side gate stands south of the main house and, like the front gate, faces east. From its southern end a wall runs west for 39 meters. It stands about 4 meters high and closes off the south side of the estate in a single continuous run.
The gate is 4.6 meters wide, considerably wider than the 2.5-meter front gate. One explanation would be that it handled carts and farm traffic rather than visitors, but no record of its use has been found.
Why it was registered: a commanding south front
The Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls was registered (no. 28-0634) as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it forms the southern edge of an imposing estate.
The front gate and its walls take the east side; this gate and wall take the south. A wall about 4 meters high running for nearly 40 meters is one of the clearest measures of how large the Fujii household was.
What to look for: boards outside, mud-wall finish within
The gate of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls is a simple wall-gate whose eaves rest on projecting brackets. Its roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in Sangawara-buki pantiles over widely spaced Taruki rafters. Rather than filling the wide opening with one great pair of doors, the builders put the doorway in the center and flanked it with panels of Shikkui plaster above board skirting.
The wall is timber with a pantile coping, and its two faces are finished differently. The outside is clad in vertical boards; the inside is made to look like an earthen wall. The estate shows the outside world a plain, practical face and keeps the softer, plastered look for itself.
Compare it with the estate's other walls: board-skirted high walls at the front gate, board-skirted walls on a dressed-stone base at the garden gate. Each is finished differently, and the south wall stands apart for its mud-wall inner face.
Seeing the south side gate
The inner face of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls, with its earthen finish, is seen from inside the grounds. Walk round to the south side of the main house and you can follow the gateway and the inside of the tall wall as it runs west.
How much of the boarded outer face can be seen from the road depends on the surroundings, so ask your guide. Photography is allowed without flash or tripod, and the 4-meter wall fits into a frame most easily if you step back toward the veranda of the main house.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period, 1898 to 1912. It was registered on November 17, 2015 (registration no. 28-0634).
- What type of gate is the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls?
- A bracketed wall-gate with a gabled pantile roof over widely spaced rafters. The doorway is in the center, flanked by plastered panels with board skirting.
- How tall and long is the wall of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls?
- About 4 meters high and 39 meters long, running west from the southern end of the gate. It is clad in vertical boards outside and finished like an earthen wall inside.
- Is the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls wider than the front gate?
- Yes. The south side gate is 4.6 meters wide, against 2.5 meters for the front gate.
- Where can the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls be seen from?
- From the south side of the main house you can see the gateway and the inner face of the wall. You view it after entering the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building on the guided tour.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls |
|---|---|
| Location | 139 Ichihara-cho, Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on November 17, 2015 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | South side gate: wooden, tiled roof, 4.6 m wide / Wall: wooden, tiled roof, length 39 m |
| Owner | Koyano Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Shown on guided tours of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Sundays; other days by reservation) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010864
- Cultural Heritage Online: Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Main House South Side Gate and Walls
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/291709
- Koyano Museum of Art: Floor Guide, Nishiwaki Building (Japanese)
- https://koyafron.co.jp/museum/nishiwaki/floor.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
