A Garden Wall with Two Faces
The Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall (島中家住宅仕切塀, Shimanaka-ke Jūtaku Shikiribei) is a timber garden wall built in 1886 (Meiji 19) in Oshokita 2-chome, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
It encloses the front garden south-west of the main house and runs for 11 metres. The best room of the house looks onto this garden, and the formal shikidai entrance opens on it, so the wall screens the part of the homestead where guests were received. It is dated to the same year as the main house, which suggests the house and garden were laid out together.
In the Agency for Cultural Affairs' classification, the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall is not a building but an "other structure", the only one of the six registered items in that category.
Why It Was Registered
The wall received registration number 28-0758 in the 99th round of national registrations, dated 2021/6/24, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
What the Agency picks out is that each face is designed differently, shaping the view both inside and outside the garden. The wall is a divider, but it is also the backdrop to the garden as seen from the best room and the public face of the homestead as seen from outside the garden. It was made with both audiences in mind.
What to Look For
Footing stones and close-set posts
The wall stands on a line of footing stones, with posts set every half bay. Brackets, udeki, project from the tops of the posts to carry a small roof of sangawara-buki pan tiles.
The south face, outside and in
The south face is finished differently on each side. Outside, the lower part is clad in vertical boards and the upper part is plastered in shikkui. Inside, facing the garden, there is a skirting board at the foot and plaster above. From outside, the wall reads as boards below and white plaster above; from the garden it is a clean white wall.
The west face and its lattice
On the west, the boarding is taken higher and topped with a lattice ranma panel, letting air and light through. It is a lighter design than the south face.
Visiting
The Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall is part of a private home, and the front garden is not open; as of October 2026 we found no announcement of open days. We have not checked which streets give a view of its outer faces. Please stay off the grounds and respect the residents' privacy.
A photograph of the west and south faces is published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
Q&A
- When was the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1886 (Meiji 19), the same year as the main house. It was registered in 2021.
- Can I visit the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall?
- No. It is part of a private home and, as of October 2026, there were no announced public openings. The national database has a photograph of the exterior.
- What does the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall enclose?
- The front garden south-west of the main house, which the best room faces and where the formal shikidai entrance opens.
- What makes the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall special?
- Each face is designed differently: the south face has board cladding and plaster outside but a skirting and plaster inside, and the west face has tall board cladding topped with a lattice panel.
- How long is the Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall and how is it built?
- It is a timber wall 11 metres long, with posts every half bay on footing stones and brackets at the top carrying a pan-tiled roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall (島中家住宅仕切塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 126 Oshokita 2-chome, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled coping, 11 metres long |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (private residence) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence; no openings announced) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013855
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shimanaka Family Residence Partition Wall (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/519704
Last verified: 2026.10.08
