What is the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall?
The Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall (野村家住宅東石塀, Nomura-ke Jūtaku Higashi Ishibei) is a stone wall from the late Meiji era at Otsu 2578 in Nahari, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 18, 2000. It is about 23 meters long, about 40 cm thick and 1.6 m high.
It runs along the east edge of the plot, following the east gable end of the main house and heading north from a pair of gateposts. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an Ishiguro, the local name for a mortared stone wall of this kind.
Of the two walls at the Nomura house, this is the one that faces the road and includes the gate. It is the wall that gives the property its public face.
Why it was registered
The Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce.
It is built in three layers. The base is laid in kikkōzumi, tortoiseshell masonry, with stones shaped into rough hexagons and fitted together like the plates of a shell. Above that, split stones are stacked with their broken faces turned toward the road. A narrow tiled roof caps the top.
Tortoiseshell work only holds together if each edge is matched to its neighbor, and setting the split faces evenly toward the street means choosing the angle of every stone. The change of technique between base and wall, finished with a tiled cap, is what the Agency judged hard to repeat today with the same effort.
The gate adds another piece of craft. A curved sleeve wall swings from the gate toward the front door of the house, and making stone follow a curve means shifting each course slightly to keep to the arc.
What to look for
The tortoiseshell base
Start low. The hexagonal pattern at the foot of the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall is laid quite differently from the split stone above it, and the line where one technique gives way to the other can be followed along the length of the wall.
Split faces toward the street
Above the base, the flat broken faces of the stones line up along the road. Compared with walls of rounded beach stone, the surface looks angular and hard. At 1.6 m the wall is close to eye level, so you can look at each fractured face up close.
The gateposts and the curved sleeve wall
Gateposts stand at the south end, and from there the sleeve wall bends inward toward the house. The straight run north against the inward curve is the most striking moment on the wall.
Visiting the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall
The Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall faces the road along the east side of the plot, with its stone faces turned to the street, so you can walk its full length from the road. The east gable of the main house rises behind it.
There is no official guidance on photography, but the property behind the wall appears to be a private home. Please do not go through the gate, and do not touch or sit on the stones. Directions from Nahari Station are on the Nomura Family Residence (Nahari) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- Where can I see the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- It faces the road along the east side of the property. You can see its full length and the gate from the road.
- What is an ishiguro, as at the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- It is the local name for a mortared stone wall with a narrow tiled roof on top, a type found in this part of Kochi. The Agency for Cultural Affairs uses the term in its description.
- How big is the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall?
- It is about 23 meters long, about 40 cm thick and 1.6 m high.
- When was the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates it to the late Meiji era, so it is older than the main house of 1922.
- Why is the Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 18, 2000, as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The tortoiseshell base, split-stone wall, tiled cap and curved sleeve wall together were the basis for registration.
Basic Information
| Name | Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | Otsu 2578, Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 18, 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Stone, length about 23 meters, thickness about 40 cm, height 1.6 meters |
| Owner | Unknown (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the road |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database: Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001982
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nomura Family Residence East Stone Wall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/167292
- Cultural Heritage Database: Nomura Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001981
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), towns and villages (Kochi Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2024031100049/
Last verified: 2026.10.16
