The Wall on the Kitchen Side
The Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall (長﨑家住宅土塀, Nagasaki-ke Jūtaku Dobei) is a tile-capped wall running along a side lane south of the kitchen of a merchant house in Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 28, 2011.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it follows the lane east and west with a bend along the way, 18 metres long and 2.2 metres high. It rises from a base of dressed stone, is rendered in mortar and is capped with straight-edged ichimonji tiles.
Where the front gate and fence dress the street side of the property, the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall encloses the working side, close to the kitchen.
Why It Was Registered
The wall was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. Hiketa's old townscape is not confined to the main highway; the lanes that branch off it are lined with old walls and storehouses too, and this wall shapes one of them.
The Agency's description makes the point by contrast. The tall front fence is an elaborate composition of clapboard, lime plaster and bamboo lattice, while the wall around the domestic side is plain mortar. In the same year, the same family chose a different specification according to where a wall stood.
That choice is legible only because both walls survive. The Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall makes most sense seen together with the front fence.
What to Look For
Start at the foot. The wall sits on dressed stone blocks, which keep ground damp and lane runoff away from the wall above.
The surface is mortar, not lime plaster, and reads greyer and more utilitarian than the white front fence. The early Showa years were a time when builders kept traditional wall forms while adopting modern materials such as mortar, and this wall is one example.
The ichimonji tiles on top match those on the front fence. The finish changes, but the crisp line along the crest stays the same front and back, and where the 2.2-metre wall bends with the lane, the tile line bends with it. Follow the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall to that corner.
Visiting the Earthen Wall
The wall faces the lane south of the main house and can be seen from the road. The lane is a residential street, so step aside for passing traffic when you stop to look.
Behind the wall is the family's home, which is private. Photograph the wall from the lane only, without aiming over it into the grounds.
Q&A
- Where is the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall?
- The Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall runs east and west along a side lane south of the main house kitchen, and it can be seen from the lane.
- How big is the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall?
- It dates from 1930 and runs 18 metres with a bend along the way, standing 2.2 metres high.
- How was the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall built?
- It rises from a dressed stone base, is finished in mortar and is capped with straight-edged ichimonji tiles.
- Why is the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall a registered cultural property?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the family finished this domestic-side wall in mortar, unlike the tall front fence, varying the specification by position. It was registered on October 28, 2011.
- How does the Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall differ from the front gate and fence?
- The front fence is a display wall of clapboard, lime plaster and bamboo lattice; the earthen wall is a practical mortar wall. Both share the same ichimonji tiles on top.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall (長﨑家住宅土塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2417-2 Hatakata, Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/10/28 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Length 18 metres, height 2.2 metres (earthen wall, tiled coping) |
| Owner | Private (no owner named in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the lane to the south; grounds private |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagasaki Family Residence Earthen Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009077
- Higashikagawa City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.higashikagawa.jp/soshikikarasagasu/shogaigakushuka/gyomuannai/8/1/1085.html
- Higashikagawa City Tourism Information: Hiketa Town Walking Map (PDF, Japanese)
- https://higashikagawa.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hiketa_map_k.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
