What Is the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall?
The Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall (小早川家住宅煉瓦塀, Kobayakawa-ke Jūtaku Renga-bei) is a brick boundary wall built in the late Meiji period, roughly between 1898 and 1912, along the north side of a samurai estate in Jonai 2-chome, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 February 2012. It is 1.4 to 1.9 meters high and 32.1 meters long.
The brick wall closes off the north side of the plot. The other three sides are enclosed by Edo-period stone, so this one red edge stands out as the newcomer.
Three Heights to Follow the Slope
The road along the north side of the estate runs downhill, and the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall follows it in three steps of height. At its lowest the wall is 1.4 meters and at its highest 1.9 meters, and the top line drops in stages as the road falls away.
The wall is only half a brick thick, about the width of a single brick. To keep so thin a wall standing up to 1.9 meters high, buttresses were added on the inside at key points. Because they are on the inner face, from the street the wall reads as one flat plane.
A Wall Built for a Wider Road
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall is said to have been built when the road was widened in the Meiji era. The published records cite no document for this, so it is best taken as local tradition.
The wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and both the agency and Nagasaki Prefecture value it for preserving the look of a Meiji-era street. An Edo-period estate walled in stone on three sides gained its fourth side in brick, a new material, as the town's roads changed around it. Of all the Kobayakawa Family Residence boundaries, this is where that change shows most directly.
Seeing the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall
The Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall faces the road on the north side and can be seen at any time. Looking up from the bottom of the slope is the easiest way to see the top of the wall step down. At the northwest corner the stone wall gives way to brick, so Edo stone and Meiji brick can be compared side by side.
The road is on a slope, so mind the traffic as you look up. The buttresses on the inner face can be seen only during Shimabara City's public openings.
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Q&A
- When and why was the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall built?
- In the late Meiji period, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives as 1898 to 1912. It is said to have been built when the road on the north side was widened.
- How big is the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall?
- It is 1.4 to 1.9 meters high and 32.1 meters long. It is half a brick thick, with buttresses on the inside at key points.
- Why does the height of the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall change along its length?
- Because the road beside it slopes. The wall was built in three steps of height to follow the incline.
- When did the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 23 February 2012, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Where is the best place to see the Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall?
- From the road on the north side, at any time. Look up from the bottom of the slope to see the steps, and visit the northwest corner to see where the stone wall meets the brick.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall (小早川家住宅煉瓦塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1013 Jonai, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 23 February 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick, 1.4 to 1.9 meters high, 32.1 meters long in total |
| Owner | Shimabara City |
| Public Access | Visible from the street (inner buttresses only during Shimabara City's public openings) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kobayakawa Family Residence Brick Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009239
- Cultural Properties of Nagasaki: Kobayakawa Family Residence (Nagasaki Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.nagasaki.jp/bunkadb/index.php/view/255
Last verified: 2026.09.28
