A Wall Made of Broken Tiles
The Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall (野村隆男家住宅塀, Nomura Takao-ke Jūtaku Hei) is a late Edo-period (1830–1867) wall of tiles set in clay in Doi Kakuchū, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 July 2005. It stands about 1.7 metres high, 0.3 metres thick and some 7 metres long, capped with a small tiled roof, and is registered as number 39-0194.
This is not a boundary wall facing the lane but a partition inside the grounds. It runs east from the south side of the main gate to the smaller heijū-mon gate fixed to the south-west corner of the main house.
A Wall from Tile Country
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the Nomura wall as a good example of the kawara-neribei, the tile-and-clay wall common in the Aki area, which was a tile-producing district. Broken tiles are stacked with red clay between them, putting pieces that could no longer go on a roof to use.
Aki City lists these Neribei walls, built of river stones from the Aki River or old tiles bound in red earth, among the defining features of Doi Kakuchū alongside its hedges and stone-edged gutters. The Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall lets you look at one at arm's length.
What to Look For
Get close to the face of the wall and you see the broken edges of tiles lying in horizontal courses, with bands of red clay between them. Nothing is plastered over; the materials are the finish, and the result is a striped surface of rust-red earth and grey tile.
The little roof on top matters. A clay wall is easily damaged by rain, so the tiles keep water off the top where it would do most harm.
At 1.7 metres the wall is just above adult eye level. It screens the space beyond without feeling heavy, and it divides the entrance area inside the gate from the garden to the south. The prefectural tourism site describes the heijū-mon at its far end, beside the house entrance, as a gate built with attack in mind.
Seeing the Wall
The Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall is on your right, to the south, as soon as you pass through the gate. Walk alongside it to the heijū-mon and you have seen its full 7 metres.
Because the wall is made of clay and broken tile, its surface is fragile. Please do not lean on it or pick at the tiles.
Q&A
- What kind of wall is the Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall?
- It is a kawara-neribei, a wall of broken roof tiles laid in red clay and capped with a tiled roof. It is about 1.7 metres high, 0.3 metres thick and 7 metres long.
- Where is the Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall?
- It is a partition inside the grounds, running east from the south side of the main gate to the heijū-mon gate on the south-west corner of the main house. You see it immediately on entering the gate.
- Why is the Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as a good example of the tile-and-clay walls typical of the Aki area, a tile-producing district. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- When was the Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall built and registered?
- The national database dates it to the late Edo period (1830–1867). It was registered on 12 July 2005 as number 39-0194.
- Can you get close to the Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall?
- Yes. The residence is owned by Aki City and open free of charge, roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day according to the city. The surface is fragile, so look without touching.
Basic Information
| Name | Nomura Takao Family Residence Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 994 Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 12 July 2005 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Clay wall, tiled coping, length 7.0 metres (height 1.7 metres, thickness 0.3 metres) |
| Owner | Aki City |
| Public Access | Open (free, about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily) |
References
- 野村隆男家住宅塀 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004848
- 野村隆男家住宅塀 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140618
- Aki City Doi Kakuchu Preservation District (Aki City)
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/life/dtl.php?hdnKey=1381
- Nomura Family Residence and Doi Kakuchu (Kochi Visitors & Convention Association)
- https://kochi-tabi.jp/search_spot_activity.html?id=16472
Last verified: 2026.09.29
