Two Kinds of Wall Along One Edge
The Teramura Norio Family Residence Wall (Teramura-ke Jutaku Hei) runs along the western edge of the plot, and it is really two walls in one. The southern stretch, about ten metres reaching from the northwest end of the nagaya gate, is an earthen wall finished in Tosa plaster and standing 1.7 metres high. The northern stretch, some thirteen metres running south from the wooden gate attached to the storehouse, is built as a neribei, a wall of stone and clay.
That northern neribei is the piece to study. It rises from a base of random rubble, its two ends stacked with old roof tiles and the span between them packed with kneaded river cobbles. The whole is capped with tiles. Where the plastered section is smooth and pale, the stone section is textured and grey, and the two together define the outer face of the compound as it meets the lane.
Why It Was Registered
The wall was entered in the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 12 July 2005 (registration no. 39-0187), completing the set of five structures on the plot registered that year. It is classed among the works of construction other than buildings, and its grounds are its contribution to the historic character of the national landscape.
A wall may seem a slight thing to place on a national register, but in this district it is central. The neribei of river stone and old tile bound in red clay is one of the signatures of the Doi Kakuchu streetscape, named again and again among the features that give the quarter its character. To register the Teramura wall is to protect a stretch of exactly this kind of construction, in situ, as part of a complete compound. It dates to the late Meiji period, with the rest of the residence.
What to Look For
The wall stands in the Doi Kakuchu Preservation District, laid out for the retainers of the Goto family, senior councillors of the Tosa domain, and made a national Important Preservation District in 2012. Walk the lanes and you will see the same vocabulary repeated: clipped hedges, stone gutters cut from Aki River cobbles, and these tiled walls of plaster and packed stone. The Teramura wall gathers two of those techniques along a single edge.
Slow down at the join between the plastered southern section and the stone northern section, where the character of the surface changes underfoot-height. Look closely at the ends of the neribei, where old roof tiles are stacked into the structure, a use of salvaged material typical of the region. Being a boundary wall, this is one part of the residence you can appreciate fully from the public lane, without going inside at all.
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Q&A
- What is a neribei?
- A neribei is a wall built of stone and clay, here river cobbles kneaded together with old roof tiles stacked at the ends, on a rubble base and capped with tiles.
- Why are there two different wall types?
- The southern part, about 10 metres, is a plastered earthen wall 1.7 metres high; the northern part, about 13 metres, is a stone neribei. Together they run along the west edge of the plot.
- Can I see it from the street?
- Yes. As a boundary wall it faces the lane and can be viewed fully from outside. The rest of the residence is private, and the Nomura Family Residence is the district's one house open inside.
- Are old tiles really built into the wall?
- Yes. The two ends of the neribei are stacked with old roof tiles, a reuse of salvaged material characteristic of walls in this area.
- How do I get there?
- About 15 minutes by rental bicycle from Aki Station on the Gomen-Nahari Line, or a short bus ride to Norodokei-mae; roughly 40 minutes by car from Kochi Ryoma Airport.
Basic Information
| Name | Teramura Norio Family Residence Wall (Teramura-ke Jutaku Hei) |
|---|---|
| Location | 993-1 Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration no. 39-0187 |
| Registered | 12 July 2005 (gazetted 2 August 2005) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Structure | Earthen wall, tiled; total length approx. 23 m (plastered section approx. 10 m; stone neribei approx. 13 m) |
| Period | Late Meiji (1868–1911) |
| Access | Approx. 15 min by rental cycle from Aki Station (Gomen-Nahari Line); within the Doi Kakuchu Preservation District |
| Note | Boundary wall; viewable from the street |
References
- National Database of Cultural Properties — Teramura Norio Family Residence Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004841
- Aki City — Doi Kakuchu Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/life/dtl.php?hdnKey=1381
- Kochi Tourism Information — Doi Kakuchu
- https://kochi-tabi.jp/search_spot_sightseeing.html?id=802
Last verified: 2026.07.05