Majima Family Residence Outer Wall

About the Majima Family Residence Outer Wall

The Majima Family Residence Outer Wall (間島家住宅外塀, Majima-ke Jūtaku Sotobei) is a tile-capped earthen wall of the early Shōwa period, which began in 1926, enclosing an estate in Mure, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, for 120 meters; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.

The wall is a roofed Dobei that runs right around the triangular Majima plot. On the east and west sides, it rises straight from the stone banks of the water channels that flank the estate, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Why the Majima Outer Wall was registered

It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency says the Majima Family Residence Outer Wall shows the character of the estate well, and notes that local people know the place affectionately as the Sankaku Yashiki, the Triangle Estate.

Seen from outside, the triangle is simply the line of this wall. Channel banks and wall together edge two sides, and the gatehouse and wall close the third, on the south. The Majima Outer Wall is what makes the outline of the estate visible.

What to look for in the Majima Outer Wall

The wall does not run unbroken. On the west it takes in the storehouse and the privy of the main house, on the east a barn, and on the south the gatehouse, so wall and buildings alternate to form a single enclosure. The barn is not among the registered structures.

There are four openings. Two small wicket gates pierce the west side, and side gates open in the middle of the east side and at its eastern point. The main entrance is the gatehouse on the south; every opening in the outer wall is a small service door.

A tiled roof runs along the top of the wall. At 120 meters, the Majima Outer Wall is about five and a half times the 22.3-meter length of the gatehouse.

Visiting the Majima Family Residence Outer Wall

The Majima Family Residence Outer Wall encloses a private home, and we found no notice about visits. It forms the edge of the estate, but we could not confirm how much of it, including the sections along the channels, can be seen from the road. Please do not enter through the wicket or side gates; look only from outside.