Hekiunso (Former Kumamoto Family Residence) Stone Wall

The Stone Wall of Hekiunso

The Hekiunso (Former Kumamoto Family Residence) Stone Wall (碧雲荘（旧熊本家住宅）石垣) is the stone wall at the entrance of a hilltop residence of 1940 in Indojiura, Ishida-cho, Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 7, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a stone structure with a total length of 123 metres; registration number 42-0113.

Coursed Basalt from Karatsu

The Hekiunso stone wall is an Ishigaki built along the east part of the south edge of the estate (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the central entrance it runs about 70 metres to the east corner, and about 47 metres from the entrance along the north side of a ramp. The stones are cut basalt from Karatsu, laid in level courses with continuous horizontal joints, each face dressed with a raised, rough-hewn boss. At the southeast corner the wall stands about 10 metres high and bows very slightly.

Nagasaki Prefecture describes a double wall. The outer wall is about 50 metres long, 20 courses high at the east end and 5 at the west, its top falling from east to west. The inner wall is about 45 metres long, with 15 courses at the west and 2 at the east, and a level top. Both are capped with slabs 18 centimetres thick, 35 centimetres wide and about 90 centimetres long, and most facing stones are close to 50 centimetres square. The Agency and the prefecture measure the lengths differently.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the wall for its contribution to the historic landscape. Nagasaki Prefecture points to the high standard of civil engineering it shows, its appearance and its good state of preservation, and judges it worthy of recognition alongside the main house and gate.

How It Was Built

According to Nagasaki Prefecture, building the estate began with this wall. The ground was levelled from about the autumn of 1938, and the masonry took roughly a year from January 1939. The squared stones, 6,500 in all, came from Chinzei in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. The work was led by the mason Shiiya Gijū and the masonry foreman Yanagisawa Hyōzō, both brought from Tokyo for the job.

What to Look For

Stand in front of the Hekiunso stone wall and the evenly sized blocks line up in long parallel bands (Nagasaki Prefecture). Look for the raised boss left on each face, and at the southeast corner, about 10 metres high, for the faint bow in the line of the wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The Hekiunso stone wall lines the entrance to the estate, and according to Iki City's answer to the city council in September 2025 it can be viewed freely by entering from the rear entrance on the Indōji side. Unlike the main house and gate, its lot lies in Indōji-ura (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on photography was found.