A Brick Arch in a Wall of Beach Stone
The Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) East Stone Wall (森家住宅（旧野村茂久馬邸）東石塀, Mori-ke Jūtaku Higashi-ishibei) is an early Taisho stone wall at Otsu 2595 in Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on 18 October 2000. It stands along a lane on the eastern edge of the plot and runs 19 metres, 50 centimetres thick and 2.5 metres high.
In type it matches the West and South Stone Walls: an Ishiguro wall with a small capping roof and cut corner stones at each end. It has one thing the other two lack. Roughly halfway along is a back door, and the opening for it is formed by an arch of brick.
Why the East Stone Wall Was Registered
The Mori Family Residence East Stone Wall was registered as a work that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the brick arch over the back door, set near the middle of the wall, as its distinguishing feature.
Cutting an opening through a wall of rounded beach stones is not straightforward. Without something to carry the weight of the stones above and pass it to either side, the wall would collapse into the gap. Regular bricks, laid in a curve, do that work as an arch. Pairing brick, a modern material in Japan at the time, with the traditional beach-stone wall is what sets the East Stone Wall apart from its two neighbours.
The back door opens onto the lane, not onto the main road. The formal front of the compound faces the roads to the west and south, and daily comings and goings, deliveries included, were handled at the back. That division of the household shows up in this one opening.
What to Look For
The arch
The first thing to find on the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) East Stone Wall is the back door near its centre. In a field of greyish beach stone, one curve of red brick appears. Look at how the bricks fan out around the curve and where the arch meets the stone on either side, and the joining of two materials becomes clear.
A wall seen at lane width
This wall faces a lane rather than a road. With little space to step back, 2.5 metres of stone rises right in front of you. Where the South Stone Wall is best seen from across the street, here you are close enough to study individual stones and the overlapping tiles of the capping roof.
Matching corner stones
Both ends are finished with cut corner stones, as on the West and South Stone Walls. Checking that shared detail confirms that the perimeter of the house was built to one method in the early Taisho years.
Seeing the East Stone Wall
The Mori Family Residence East Stone Wall faces a lane on the east side of the plot and can be seen from the lane. The back door is a working entrance to the house, so please do not linger in front of it or block the way. Neighbours use the lane too.
There is no published policy on photography. Please remember that a private home lies behind the wall and its door. The lane can be reached by walking east from the southern road. Directions are on the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) page.
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Q&A
- Where is the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) East Stone Wall?
- It runs along a lane on the eastern edge of the property and can be seen from the lane.
- What is special about the Mori Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- A back door near its middle is framed by a brick arch, an unusual pairing of brick with a traditional beach-stone wall.
- How big is the Mori Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- It is 19 metres long, 50 centimetres thick and 2.5 metres high.
- Can visitors go through the back door of the Mori Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- No. It is the entrance to a private home, so please view it from outside only.
- When was the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) East Stone Wall registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2000, as a work that would not be easy to reproduce. It dates from the early Taisho period.
Basic Information
| Name | Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) East Stone Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | Otsu 2595, Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 18 October 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, 19 metres long, 50 centimetres thick, 2.5 metres high |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the lane |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: East Stone Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001980
- Cultural Heritage Online: East Stone Wall (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/186710
- Japan Heritage Portal: component property entry (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/3447/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
