What the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall Is
The Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall (森澤家住宅内塀, Morisawa-ke jūtaku uchibei) is a set of middle Meiji-period partition walls inside the estate in Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 November 2005. Rather than enclosing the property from the outside, it divides spaces within it, with a total length of 25 metres.
It has two parts. The first is a board fence around roughly the eastern half of the main house's north side, 12 metres long and 1.8 metres high, with posts every half bay and boards between them.
The second is an earthen wall enclosing the south garden of the annex, 13 metres long, 1.7 metres high and 0.3 metres thick, plastered on both faces with Shikkui. Both the fence and the wall are capped with small roofs of pantiles.
Why It Was Registered
The Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, on the same day as the buildings, as a structure that organises the space inside the estate.
Its interest lies in the use of two different kinds of wall for two different places. Behind the main house there is a board fence; around the annex garden, a plastered earthen wall. Even within the grounds, the grade of the enclosure changes with what it encloses.
The north side of the main house is the back of the property, where the well house stands. A board fence there reads as a simple screen around a working area. The south garden of the annex was a garden to be looked at from the reception rooms, and it is enclosed solidly by a wall of earth 0.3 metres thick, plastered on both faces. The difference in construction mirrors the difference between a back yard and a garden.
What to Look For
On the board fence, look at the run of posts. They stand about 0.9 metres apart, half a bay, with boards filling the gaps, so that a line of verticals marches evenly along the 1.8-metre face.
On the earthen wall, look at the thickness. A clay wall 0.3 metres thick is plastered on both sides and topped with tiles. At 1.7 metres it is 0.1 metres lower than the fence, and it closes off the annex garden quietly.
Both parts carry small pantiled roofs matching the other buildings on the estate. Different materials below, a single roofline above: the tiles tie them together as the walls of one household.
Visiting
The Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall stands north of the main house and south of the annex, well inside the plot, and cannot be seen from outside. No opening has been announced (checked 25 September 2026). Please do not enter the grounds.
Directions to the estate and guidance on viewing it are on the Morisawa Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What is the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall?
- A set of partition walls inside the estate: a board fence around the north side of the main house and an earthen wall around the annex garden, 25 metres in total.
- How big is the board fence of the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall?
- It is 12 metres long and 1.8 metres high, with posts every half bay and boards between them.
- How big is the earthen wall of the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall?
- It is 13 metres long, 1.7 metres high and 0.3 metres thick, plastered on both faces.
- Why does the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall use two types of wall?
- Apparently to suit what each encloses: a simple board fence for the back of the main house, a plastered earthen wall for the annex garden.
- Can you see the Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall?
- It stands inside the grounds and cannot be seen from outside. No opening has been announced.
Basic Information
| Name | Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall (森澤家住宅内塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 559 Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 39-0205 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Board fence and earthen wall, tiled coping, total length 25 metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside the grounds) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Morisawa Family Residence Inner Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005051
- Kochi Prefecture: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
