The Well and the Fence
The Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅井戸屋形及び板塀, Nakamorike Jūtaku Idoyakata oyobi Itabei) stand at Uenogenbamachi in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, date from the late Edo period, and were entered on Japan's register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 19 December 2014.
These are the only registered elements on the plot that are not buildings in the ordinary sense. The Agency for Cultural Affairs classifies them under the heading of other constructions, a category that covers gates, walls, bridges and the working apparatus of a property. They were registered as a single item.
The well shelter stands west of the main house under a gabled pantile roof. Its western half is enclosed by board walls and holds the well itself, with a stone curb set into the ground. The eastern half is left open as a passage floored with stepping stones. Doorways face east and west, and a small window opens to the south. From the north-west corner of the shelter a board fence runs across to the storehouse, seven metres of timber under its own tiled coping.
What Gets Lost First
Domestic water is the part of the past that disappears most completely. A castle-town household drew from a well in the yard, and the position of that well governed where the kitchen went, where the passages ran, how the garden was divided. Then piped supply arrived, in Ueno as elsewhere across the twentieth century, and wells became redundant. Most were capped or filled. The little roofed structures over them, being neither dwelling nor storehouse, were the first things to be pulled down when a family wanted space.
Which is why this modest assembly of twelve square metres carries a registration number of its own, 24-0186, on the same footing as the main house.
Look at how it is put together. The shelter is doing two jobs at once. Its enclosed western half keeps the well clean and shaded and gives someone drawing water a place to stand out of the rain. Its open eastern half is circulation, a stepping-stone route through the middle of the plot. One small structure serves as both utility and path.
The board fence does the third job. Running from the shelter to the storehouse, it separates the inner courtyard from the outer garden, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with creating the character of the garden space. A fence is a cheap thing to build and an easy thing to remove, and its survival for something over a century and a half says a good deal about how carefully this property has been kept.
A Property You Read from the Edge
Set expectations honestly. The Nakamori Residence is a private home. There is no admission, no interior visit, no access to the garden, and the well shelter and fence stand in the middle of the plot where the street cannot reach them. You will not see either one.
What you can do is stand on the lane and read the depth. The eastern frontage gives you the gate, the earthen wall and the front storehouse. Behind them the main house roof. Behind that, higher than everything, the two-storey storehouse at the western boundary. Somewhere in the space between those two roofs is the well, the stepping stones and the fence.
The lane is the Shimoyashiki no Michi, three minutes on foot from Hirokōji Station on the Iga Railway and about ten from Ueno-shi Station. It runs past Samazama-en, the villa garden of the Tōdō Shinshichirō house, a designated city historic site and closed to the public, where Matsuo Bashō attended a blossom gathering in 1688 and composed a verse still associated with the place. Iga City groups the Nakamori Residence with that garden in its heritage planning, which is a reminder that this is a district best walked slowly rather than ticked off.
For a house where you can look down an actual well shaft and walk an actual garden, the Irimajiri Residence a few streets away is open on published hours for a modest fee. Check current opening details before you go.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamori Family Residence Well House and Wooden Fence
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- Can visitors see the Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence?
- No. Both stand within the private grounds, west of the main house and away from the street, and the residence is closed to the public. Only the eastern frontage of the property, meaning the gate, earthen wall and front storehouse, is visible from the public road.
- What exactly is the well shelter at the Nakamori Residence?
- A roofed timber structure of about 12 square metres under gabled pantiles, west of the main house. Its western half is walled in boards and contains the well with a stone curb, while its eastern half is an open passage laid with stepping stones. Doorways face east and west and a small window opens to the south.
- What does the board fence at the Nakamori Residence do?
- It runs seven metres from the north-west corner of the well shelter across to the storehouse, dividing the inner courtyard from the outer garden. The Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies this division as what gives the garden space its character. The fence is timber with a tiled coping.
- Why were the Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence registered together?
- They form a single functional unit within the plot and were registered as one item, number 24-0186, on 19 December 2014. The Agency for Cultural Affairs classifies them as other constructions rather than as a building, the category used for walls, gates and similar structures.
- How old are the Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates both to the late Edo period, roughly 1830 to 1868, the same phase as the main house, the front storehouse, the storehouse and the gate with its earthen wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅井戸屋形及び板塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 195 Uenogenbamachi, Iga, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 24-0186 |
| Year Designated | 19 December 2014 (79th round of registration) |
| Quantity | 1 unit |
| Dimensions | Well shelter: timber, tiled roof, area 12 m², with well. Board fence: timber, tiled, length 7.0 m |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Closed. Not visible from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010313
- Cultural Heritage Online: Well Shelter and Board Fence of the Nakamori Residence
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/274316
- City of Iga, Plan for the Maintenance and Improvement of Historic Scenic Beauty (Chapter 2)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000013/13871/071017_3-2.pdf
- Mie Prefecture, Cultural Tourism: Matsuo Bashō and the Ueno Castle District
- https://www.bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/646580347590019.htm
Last verified: 2026.08.04