A Tuff Wall 2.1 Metres High
The Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall (鮫島博家住宅石塀, Sameshima Hiroshi-ke Jūtaku Ishibei) is an early Meiji-period boundary wall of cut tuff in the Kaseda Fumoto district of Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 13 August 2012. Laid in level Nunozumi courses, it stands 2.1 metres high and runs to 49 metres in all.
It has 2 parts: the walls that bend away on either side of the gate, and a separate wall built behind the gate. The entrance is thus framed in stone both in front and behind.
The Projecting Course
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is the masonry. Partway up, the outer top edge of the stones in one course is made to project at an angle, a technique the Agency calls distinctive. The result is a single angled ledge running through the otherwise flat, level face of the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall.
Inumaki podocarps, the traditional hedging tree of the district, are planted within the grounds, and the Agency describes the wall and the trees together as conveying the Kaseda style of estate enclosure. The tourism association's walking map also mentions the property's old inumaki. The listing was made under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape.
About 120 metres to the west, the Sameshima Family Residence wall is finished with a hedge on top of its cut stone. Seen one after the other, the two show that even within a single fumoto each household built its boundary in its own way.
What to Notice
Look at mid-height. The angled ledge draws a line across the horizontal joints, and where the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall turns toward the gate you can see how that ledge is carried around the corner.
Visiting
The wall faces the lane and can be viewed freely from outside. The property behind it is a private home and cannot be entered (checked September 2026). Please do not climb on the stonework. Directions to the district are given on the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- How high is the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall?
- It is 2.1 metres high and 49 metres long in total, built of cut tuff in level courses.
- What is distinctive about the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall?
- Partway up, one course of stones has its outer top edge projecting at an angle, a technique the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes as distinctive.
- Where can the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall be seen?
- From the lane outside the estate. It faces the street and can be viewed freely; the grounds are private.
- How does the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall differ from the Sameshima Family Residence wall?
- It is built up in tuff to 2.1 metres with an angled projecting course partway up, whereas the Sameshima Family Residence wall carries a hedge on top of its cut stone.
- When was the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall registered?
- On 13 August 2012, together with the main house, gate and storehouse of the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall (鮫島博家住宅石塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 17824-1 Kaseda Takeda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration no. 46-0105 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2012/8/13 (Heisei 24) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone; height 2.1 metres, total length 49 metres |
| Owner | Private individual (not published) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence; exterior visible from the street) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Stone Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009413
- Japan Heritage Portal, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence
- https://www.japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4680/
- Satsuma Samurai Towns Japan Heritage Council: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence
- https://kagoshima-fumoto.jp/minamisatsuma/%E9%AE%AB%E5%B3%B6%E5%8D%9A%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85/
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Minamisatsuma-shi Kaseda Fumoto
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/103/00000125
- Satsuma Samurai Towns Japan Heritage Council: Kaseda Fumoto
- https://kagoshima-fumoto.jp/minamisatsuma/
- Minamisatsuma Tourism Association: Kaseda Fumoto walking map (PDF)
- https://kanko-minamisatsuma.jp/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/feature-kasedamachiaruki.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.25
