Hashimoto Sake Brewery Wall

A Wall That Curves Around the Corner

Hashimoto Sake Brewery Wall (橋本酒造塀, Hashimoto Shuzō Hei) is a boundary wall at a sake brewer's compound in Iburihashi-machi, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, rebuilt in 1950 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 December 2005. It runs along the east and north edges of the lot for a total length of 23 metres.

It stands on a base of stacked tuff. The lower part is clad in vertical boards, and above the Nageshi rail the wall is finished in black Shikkui plaster. The roof is laid with Sangawara-buki tiles and capped with Shakudani ridge stones.

Like the front gate, it was rebuilt after the Fukui earthquake of 1948.

Why It Was Registered

The Hashimoto Sake Brewery Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. Its line is distinctive: at the northeast corner it bends in a curve rather than a right angle, while beside the front gate and at the southern end of the east side it turns squarely. At its southern end it meets the projecting lattice window of the main house.

So the wall runs without a break from the front of the main house, past the gate and around the northeast corner. Its board base, black plaster and tiled roof with Shakudani ridge stones echo the stone on the main house ridge and make the compound read as a whole from the road.

What to Look For

The northeast corner is the highlight. Roof and black plaster sweep round in a gentle curve instead of meeting at an angle, and it shows best when seen obliquely from the street corner.

The other point is the southern end, where the Hashimoto Sake Brewery Wall joins the main house's lattice window. You can see how the two are fitted together from the road in front.

Visiting

The wall faces the street on the east and north sides of the lot, so it can be seen from the public road. The grounds behind it are private and cannot be entered without the owner's permission; photograph it from the street.

Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Hashimoto Sake Brewery page.