What the Kodama Family Residence West Wall Is
The Kodama Family Residence West Wall is an earthen 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 20-0087.
It closes the western edge of the compound and is built on a stone embankment. A pantiled gable roof runs north to south above it, and the timber posts stay visible in the plastered face.
The register gives the length as 16 metres in the structural description and as 10 bays in the commentary. Ten bays comes to roughly 18 metres, so the two do not match, most likely because they are measured from different points; both are given here.
Why It Was Registered
The listing criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The national register notes that the wall turns its southern gable end toward the old highway and, with the west gate and the south wall stonework, forms the masugata entry pocket. Its job is to close the southwest corner of the compound.
Setting an earthen wall on a stone embankment follows directly from building on a slope. Stone takes up the change in ground level, and the wall above it keeps its height when seen from the road below.
What to Look For
The lower part of the wall is the detail to catch. Above the top of the embankment, the register describes the plaster as splayed out like the skirt of a hakama, so the wall appears to grow straight out of the stonework.
Look too at the southern end, where the gable face is turned toward the road. The wall is seen end-on rather than along its length, which shows the thickness of both roof and wall at once.
From in front of the west gate, look north along the top of the embankment. The turn in the space between road and wall is the masugata itself.
Visiting the Kodama Family Residence West Wall
The wall stands on the western edge and is visible from the lane outside. Walking north from the west gate, the embankment rises and falls beneath it.
The inner side belongs to a private garden, seen only on the guided walk offered on café opening days. Photographing from outside is fine.
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 West Wall built?
- The national register dates it to about 1901, the same phase as the front gate, the west gate and the south wall stonework.
- How long is the Kodama Family Residence West Wall?
- The structural description gives 16 metres and the commentary gives 10 bays, roughly 18 metres, so the figures differ.
- How is the Kodama Family Residence West Wall built?
- It is a plastered earthen wall with exposed posts under a pantiled gable roof, raised on a stone embankment with the lower plaster splayed outward above the stone.
- Can visitors see the west wall?
- Yes, from the lane outside the compound. The inner face is seen only on guided viewing.
- Why is the west wall registered?
- It was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, turning its gable to the road and forming the masugata together with the west gate and the south wall stonework.
Basic Information
| Name | Kodama Family Residence West 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 | Earthen construction, 16 metres long |
| Owner | Yamatama Limited Company |
| Public Access | On the outer edge of the compound; visible from outside |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kodama Family Residence West Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001818
- Tomi City: Kodama Family Residence
- https://www.city.tomi.nagano.jp/category/kenzobutsu/160195.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
