Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall

The Wall Around the Ishida Estate

The Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall (石田家住宅土塀) is an earthen wall (Dobei) enclosing an estate of the Taisho period in Inouchi, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It encloses the west and north sides of the Ishida family estate, a long white wall that stands out in the village.

The Agency records a tile-capped earthen wall with a total length of 91 metres, dated to the Taisho period (1912 to 1926); registration number 26-0417.

A Wall Linking Three Corners of the Plot

The Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall runs from the southwest corner of the plot past the northwest corner to the northeast corner (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It stands about 2 metres high and measures 91.1 metres in total. Kyoto Prefecture describes it as a white plastered wall more than 100 metres long, a difference that probably reflects how it was measured.

The wall rises from a base of rough fieldstones laid as found (Nozurazumi) and is capped with a small gabled roof of round-and-flat Hongawarabuki tiles and pan tiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The wall faces are finished in Shikkui plaster.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall as a contribution to the historic landscape, noting how it sets off the village scenery. Kyoto Prefecture adds that it conveys the size of the estate and stands out among the houses of the village.

What to Look For

Under the coping of the Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall, the plaster is drawn out into one or two moulded bands (Nokijabara) (Agency for Cultural Affairs), casting a line of shadow along the top of the white wall.

According to Kyoto Prefecture, years of wind and rain had stripped large areas of plaster and broken many tiles, and the wall was repaired in the 2016 fiscal year with a grant from the prefecture's heritage fund. The white wall seen today is the result.

Visiting

The Ishida Family Residence Earthen Wall forms the boundary of a private estate; it can be seen from outside, but the grounds are not open. Street conditions on site have not been checked. Photography rules are unconfirmed, so avoid photographing the house itself.