What the Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall Is
The Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall is a masonry retaining wall of about 1901 in the Wa district of Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000 under the number 20-0086.
It runs from the west end of the front gate along the old Matsushiro to Netsu highway as far as the west gate. Built to hold the graded slope, it shows 3 visible courses of hexagonal masonry, and the sill stones of the timber fence above rest on its top.
The register gives the length as 34 metres in the structural description and about 40 metres in the commentary, apparently measuring different stretches, so both figures appear here.
Why It Was Registered
The listing criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The national register describes it as producing, with the masonry beneath the storehouse and with the front and west gates, the look of a small castle along the road.
The wall also made the site. The slope was cut, the stone was laid, and only then was there level ground for the gates and fences above it. The stonework came before the buildings, and the plan of the compound follows from it.
What to Look For
Come close enough to read the masonry. Hexagonal coursing dresses each face to something near a six-sided shape, so the joints run in a continuous honeycomb pattern. The phrase used in the register, 3 visible courses, refers to the breaks that read in the height of the wall.
Look at the sill stones on top as well. The posts of the timber fence stand on them, and although wall and fence were separate jobs, the heights were set so that the two read as one surface.
Step back to the far side of the road and the stonework runs as a single line from the storehouse at the east end to the west gate. The whole south side of the compound sits on that line.
Visiting the Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall
The wall faces the public road and can be seen at any time. With the storehouse, it is the easiest of the 12 registered structures to visit.
Two distances work: close up for the coursing, and from across the road for the line of it. Photographing from the road is fine. Getting inside the compound depends on the café opening days.
Directions and viewing conditions for the compound are on the Kodama Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall built?
- The national register dates it to about 1901, when the sloping site was graded for building.
- How long is the south wall stonework?
- The structural description gives 34 metres and the commentary about 40 metres, since the two measure different stretches.
- What kind of masonry is used?
- Hexagonal coursing showing 3 visible courses, with the sill stones of the timber fence resting on the top of the wall.
- Can visitors see the Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall?
- Yes. It faces the public road and is visible at any time; entering the compound depends on café opening days.
- Why is the stonework registered?
- It was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, forming the castle-like roadside frontage together with the gates and the storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 7785 Oaza Wa, Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone construction, 34 metres long |
| Owner | Yamatama Limited Company |
| Public Access | Faces the public road; visible from outside |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kodama Family Residence South Wall Stone Retaining Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001823
- Tomi City: Kodama Family Residence
- https://www.city.tomi.nagano.jp/category/kenzobutsu/160195.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
