Roy Smith Hall Gate Pillars and Stone Walls (Former Otani Family Residence Gate Pillars and Stone Walls)

Granite Walls up to 4.7 Metres High

The Roy Smith Hall Gate Pillars and Stone Walls (Former Otani Family Residence Gate Pillars and Stone Walls) (ロイ・スミス館門柱及び石垣（旧大谷家住宅門柱及び石垣）) is the gate and granite walls of a large estate of around 1935 in Shinohara Kitamachi, Nada Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 28, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records reinforced-concrete gate pillars 3.0 metres apart with a side gate, and stone walls 111 metres long; registration number 28-0529.

So-Called Mikage Walls

The gate of Roy Smith Hall opens in the middle of the east side of the site, and stone walls run along the east, west and south sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The gate pillars are 1.9 metres high, of reinforced concrete faced with Mikage granite.

The walls are of the type known as Mikage walls; turning corners, they run for 111 metres and rise to 4.7 metres at their highest, forming the estate frontage typical of large houses in this area (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that they form an estate frontage typical of large houses in the area, and registered them for their contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the granite-faced gate pillars and the Mikage walls rising to 4.7 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by the Kobe University Rokkodai Supporters Association Foundation (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Nada Ward lists it as not open to the public. The main building, garage and gate pillars and stone walls are introduced together on the Roy Smith Hall page.