A Wall of Tile and Clay
Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall (岩村家住宅（旧黒岩家住宅）瓦練塀, Iwamura-ke Jūtaku Kawara Neribei) is a late Edo-period earthen wall that runs south and north from the east end of the main house of an old family estate in the Maejima neighborhood of Kawakita, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 15, 2024.
A neribei is built by stacking layers of kneaded clay and roof tiles, then capping the top with a small tiled roof. This one is 8.6 meters long in total. The national database dates it to the end of the Edo period, before 1868, and notes that part of it was added in the middle of the Meiji era.
It follows the east edge of the compound and is split by the main house into a south section and a north section. The main house, the storehouse, and the gate with its palanquin room were registered on the same day; the wall is the piece that closes the estate's eastern side.
A Local Way of Building
The listing cites its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a wall particular to this area that gives the east side of the plot its character.
What makes it local is the recipe. In the south section the clay layers are thin and the tiles packed tight, a method the official commentary identifies as the local specification. Rather than a thick earth wall with a few tiles laid in, it is essentially a stack of tiles held together by clay.
Aki City lists walls of river stones and old tiles set in red clay among the defining features of Doi-kachu, the city's former samurai quarter. With its river-stone footing and densely layered tiles, the Iwamura Family Residence wall in Kawakita can be read as part of the same regional tradition.
What to Look For
The two sections are finished differently, and comparing them is the whole pleasure of the Iwamura Family Residence Tiled Earthen Wall.
The south section rests on 2 courses of river stones. Above them, thin bands of clay alternate with tiles, and the top carries a small roof of Sangawara-buki tiles whose eave edges bear a karakusa scroll pattern, so a fine decorative line runs along the crest.
The north section is plainer. Its stone footing is 2 courses high on the east face but 4 on the west, and its cap uses flat, unpatterned tiles.
On a neribei, the edges of the stacked tiles show on the face of the wall layer by layer. With tiles packed as tightly as they are in the south section, expect a dense grey pinstripe rather than a smooth plastered surface.
Visiting the Wall
The Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall is part of a private home, and as of September 2026 neither Aki City nor the Agency for Cultural Affairs lists any visitor access. Please stay off the property and look only from the public road.
Because the wall lines the east side of the estate, any view will be from that side, and how much of it you can see from the public road depends on conditions on the ground. The national database includes exterior photographs taken from the west and from the northeast, which help with faces you cannot see from the road. Photograph from the road only and keep residents out of the frame.
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Q&A
- What is the Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall?
- A neribei, a wall built from alternating layers of kneaded clay and roof tiles with a small tiled roof on top. It runs south and north from the east end of the main house.
- When was the Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall built?
- The national database dates it to the end of the Edo period, with part added in the middle Meiji era. It was registered on August 15, 2024.
- How long is the Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall?
- The south and north sections together measure 8.6 meters.
- How do the two sections of the Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall differ?
- The south section sits on 2 courses of river stones, uses thin clay layers with densely packed tiles and is capped with patterned eave tiles. The north section has a stone base of 2 courses on the east face and 4 on the west, with plain tiles on top.
- Can I visit the Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall?
- It is part of a private home, and as of September 2026 no visitor access has been announced. You can view it from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Iwamura Family Residence (Former Kuroiwa Family Residence) Tiled Earthen Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 284-1 Kawakita Maejima-ko, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/8/15 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Earthen wall with tiled coping, total length 8.6 meters |
| Owner | Not disclosed (no owner listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior visible from the road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: 岩村家住宅（旧黒岩家住宅）瓦練塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015098
- Aki City Ordinances: Cultural Properties in Aki City (安芸市における文化財)
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/reiki/reiki_honbun/o304RG00000266.html
- Aki City: Doi-kachu Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/life/dtl.php?hdnKey=1381
Last verified: 2026.09.25
