Six Metres of Ishiguro at the Corner of the House
The Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) West Stone Wall (森家住宅（旧野村茂久馬邸）西石塀, Mori-ke Jūtaku Nishi-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 runs 6 metres, stands 2.5 metres high and is 50 centimetres thick.
It starts at the southwest end of the main house's two-storey block and runs straight south along the road. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it an Ishiguro wall, the type particular to this part of Kochi.
Of the three stone walls at the Mori Family Residence, this is the shortest. That is its advantage. Everything that makes an ishiguro wall work, from the base to the end stones to the little roof on top, fits into one glance.
Why the West Stone Wall Was Registered
The Mori Family Residence West Stone Wall was registered as a work that would not be easy to reproduce.
It is built in three layers. At the bottom is a base of dressed, squared stone. Above that, the body of the wall is rounded beach stone laid in a binding mix, the technique called Nerizumi. On top sits a narrow tiled roof. Beach stones come in every shape and size, smoothed by the surf, and building them up to 2.5 metres while holding the wall to 50 centimetres thick means reading the angle and weight of each stone as it goes in.
Both ends are locked with squared corner stones. Round stones alone cannot make a clean edge and tend to spill from the ends, so cut blocks are laid alternately to hold the rounded face in place from either side. It is this whole assembly that was judged hard to repeat today with the same care.
What to Look For
Cut stone below, beach stone above
Look up the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) West Stone Wall from its foot and the change of material is obvious. The lowest courses are squared stones with flat faces; above them, the stones keep their rounded, sea-worn shapes. The dressed stone takes the splash of rain and the damp of the ground, and the beach stone does the rest.
The corner stones
At the north and south ends, sharp-edged cut blocks are stacked one above another. Straight lines break suddenly out of a field of rounded stone, so the ends look tighter than the rest. Follow how the blocks alternate between long and short faces and you can read how the corners were bonded.
From house to wall
The north end meets the southwest corner of the main house. The boarded wall of the house and the stone of the wall face the road as one continuous front. Standing at that joint, it is easy to see that house and wall were planned together in the early Taisho years.
Seeing the West Stone Wall
The Mori Family Residence West Stone Wall faces the road on the west and can be seen in full from the street. There is no need to enter the property and no access restriction of the kind that applies to the house interior. At 6 metres long, it fits into a single photograph from a few steps back.
There is no published policy on photography, but the wall fronts a private home. Please do not touch or climb the stones, and mind passing traffic. Directions are on the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) page.
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Q&A
- Where can I see the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) West Stone Wall?
- It faces the road on the west side of the property and is fully visible from the street, running south from the southwest corner of the main house.
- What does ishiguro mean for the Mori Family Residence West Stone Wall?
- It is the local name for walls of beach stones laid in a binding mix, a type particular to the Nahari area. The Agency for Cultural Affairs uses the term in its description.
- How big is the Mori Family Residence West Stone Wall?
- It is 6 metres long, 50 centimetres thick and 2.5 metres high, the shortest of the three stone walls on the property.
- When was the Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) West Stone Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Taisho period, the same time as the main house.
- Why is the Mori Family Residence West Stone Wall a registered cultural property?
- It was registered on 18 October 2000 as a work that would not be easy to reproduce, recognising its combination of a cut-stone base, beach stones in a binding mix, cut corner stones and a small tiled roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Mori Family Residence (Former Nomura Mokuma Residence) West 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, 6 metres long, 50 centimetres thick, 2.5 metres high |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: West Stone Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001978
- Cultural Heritage Online: West Stone Wall (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/137748
- 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
