Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall

About the Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall

The Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall (粉川家住宅築地塀, Kokawa-ke Jūtaku Tsuijibei) is a tile-capped earthen wall built in 1923 in Takabatakecho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 7, 2008. Its registered length is 29 m.

It runs north from the southeast corner of the plot along the east edge, closing off the southern half of the boundary with the neighboring lot. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its length as about 30 m in its description and says it was built in the same campaign as the main house and the other structures.

A Boulder Base That Holds Back the Ground

Start at the foot of the Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall. The ground drops toward the eastern neighbor, and the wall sits on a base that doubles as a retaining wall. That base is built of random-laid river boulders, rounded stones stacked without coursing.

The stone wall along the road to the south is made of neatly coursed cut granite; this base keeps the rough look of natural stone. Both belong to the same site works, yet the front and the side of the estate are finished to clearly different standards.

So the Kokawa tsuiji wall is more than a boundary marker. It also holds back the soil of the raised plot, taking care of the eastern edge in a scheme that lifts the whole house above the road.

Clay Walls and a Pantile Cap

The wall surface is left at the intermediate coat of clay plaster, without the usual finishing coat. Where the annex is rendered in white plaster, here the color and grain of the earth stay on show.

The roof is laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles. Although registered as a Tsuijibei, the name for the thick rammed-earth walls of temples and palaces, this one was built as a tile-capped earthen wall to mark the edge of a house.

Why the Kokawa Tsuiji Wall Was Registered

The Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Built together with the main house and taking up the change in ground level, it secures the eastern edge of the estate as part of its overall frame.

Seeing the Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall

The Kokawa Family Residence Tsuiji Wall stands on the east boundary of a private property, and the grounds cannot be entered (checked October 2026). Because it runs along the line with the neighboring lot, it has not been confirmed how much of it can be seen from the road. There is no official guidance on photography, so avoid capturing the private home or the house next door. Directions to the estate are on the Kokawa Family Residence page.