A Showa-Era Wall on the West Boundary
Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall (吉村家住宅西塀, Yoshimura-ke Jūtaku Nishibei) is a reinforced-concrete wall of the early Showa period, 1926 to 1945, at the Yoshimura Family Residence in Kawashiri 4-chome, Minami-ku, Kumamoto City, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on August 6, 2025. It runs for 12 meters.
The Yoshimura west wall extends north to south between the main house and the zashiki-gura storehouse, closing off the western edge of the compound. It is the youngest of the six listed structures and the only one built with modern materials; the other five are timber, earth and plaster.
Concrete Posts and Slag-Brick Panels
A continuous strip footing runs beneath the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall, and on it stand reinforced-concrete posts spaced 1.9 meters apart. The panels between them are laid in slag brick, a brick made from the glassy waste left over when metal ore is smelted.
Both faces are rendered in mortar, so none of the brickwork shows. What you see is a flat, smooth wall divided into bays by the posts at 1.9-meter intervals.
A Roof of Folded Tiles
The capping of the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall is tiled, but with mei-ita tiles folded into a peak along their whole length, a form the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls unusual. No other structure among the six Yoshimura listings is roofed this way.
The wall holds registration number 43-0213 and was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency describes it as a solid wall that shapes the western side of the compound.
Seeing the Yoshimura West Wall
The Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall stands within a private property and is not open to the public. The photographs in the Agency's database show its northeast and east faces, the side that looks into the compound.
The sources consulted for this article do not confirm that the wall can be seen from any road outside the lot. On site, stay off the grounds and look only from the public road.
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Q&A
- When was the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall built?
- In the early Showa period, 1926 to 1945. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025.
- How is the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall built?
- Reinforced-concrete posts at 1.9-meter intervals stand on a strip footing, with slag-brick panels between them rendered in mortar on both faces.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall?
- It is capped with mei-ita tiles folded into a peak along their whole length, a form the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls unusual.
- Where is the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall?
- It runs for 12 meters between the main house and the zashiki-gura, marking the western edge of the compound.
- Can I see the Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall?
- It is on private land and not open to the public, and no source confirms a view of it from a road outside the lot.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall (吉村家住宅西塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 663-2 Kawashiri 4-chome, Minami-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 43-0213 |
| Year Designated | Registered August 6, 2025 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, tiled roof, length 12 meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yoshimura Family Residence West Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015532
- Kumamoto Prefecture: Council recommendation for Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (March 21, 2025, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/125/229955.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
