Iwase Family Residence Earthen Wall

Plastered Walls on Either Side of the Gate

The Iwase Family Residence Earthen Wall (岩瀬家住宅土塀, Iwase-ke Jūtaku Dobei) is a late Meiji plastered earthen wall, 47 metres in total length, that flanks the front gate of a salt-producing family's estate in Shinhamacho, Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 March 2019 (registration no. 37-437).

The wall runs out from both sides of the front gate, enclosing the northern half of the east side of the property and the eastern half of the north side. It stands 2.4 metres high: a base of stone, either a dressed retaining wall (Ishigaki) or rougher stacked stone, carries a clay wall finished in lime plaster (Shikkui) and capped with a tiled roof.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the Iwase Family Residence Earthen Wall, together with the front gate, with giving the merchant family's frontage its weight and dignity; its 2018 recommendation calls the walls along the boundary bold in design.

Seen from the road, it is the wall rather than any building that first announces the household's standing. Stone base, white wall and tiled coping turn the corner of the plot in one continuous line, with the tiled gate opening in the middle.

The decorative detail is in the gable faces where the wall turns outward at a corner. At the centre of each is a motif modelled on hachisō, the ornamental metal plates fixed to traditional doors: restrained, but a deliberate touch of ornament on a working wall.

What to Look For

Walk to the corners. The hachisō-style motif sits on the outward-facing gable ends, where its outline stands out against the white plaster.

Then look down at the base. Clay walls do not tolerate water, so lifting them onto stone is what keeps them standing. The Agency describes the footing as either retaining wall or stacked stone, which suggests the construction may vary from one stretch of the wall to the next.

On a sunny day, the shadow cast by the tiled coping gives the Iwase Family Residence Earthen Wall a crisp, three-dimensional edge.

Seeing the Earthen Wall

Because it runs along the property boundary, the wall is the most visible of the seven registered structures. It still encloses a private home, so view it from the public road and do not touch or lean on it.

Take any photographs from the road. Directions to the estate are covered on the Iwase Family Residence page.