Fifty-One Metres Round the Garden
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall (帆足家本家住宅（富春館）塀) is a roofed timber garden wall of the Taishō period, dated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to between 1912 and 1925, in Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
It is 51 metres long and is registered as a single entry together with the small gate set into it and the shrine at its end. The wall encloses the south and west sides of the garden south of the main house, running north from the northwest corner of the pawn storehouse, turning, and ending at a small wooden shrine southwest of the treasure storehouse. A timber frame stands on a stone base, the eaves are carried out on projecting beams, known as degeta, and the top is roofed in tile. A small bracket-arm gate opens at the southeast corner.
The boundary between the garden and the entrance court is formed by the earthen wall that runs south from the middle gate. That wall belongs to the middle gate's registration, not to this one.
Why It Was Registered
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as carefully made and as giving the perimeter of the estate a landscape of high quality.
Walls are easy to overlook, and registering this one on the same footing as the gates and storehouses says that it defines the outline of the property. It is also built like a small building: stone footing, timber frame, projecting eaves, tile roof.
The Taishō date puts it in the same years as the Western-style house and the two storehouses. The garden enclosure probably took its present form in the same period, when the family was adding one outbuilding after another.
What to Look For
Look under the eaves first. Degeta eaves carry a beam on the ends of arms projecting from the posts so that the roof oversails deeply, a detail common on the street fronts of town houses. On a wall it throws a band of deep shadow along the face and keeps a long run from looking flat.
The little bracket-arm gate at the southeast corner is registered as part of the wall. Set it beside the front gate and the middle gate and you have three gates of three sizes and three ranks on one property.
Then find the shrine where the wall ends. Finishing the enclosure at a small place of worship southwest of the treasure storehouse closes the far end of the garden on a sacred note.
Visiting
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall can be seen by walking round the garden while Hoashi Honke Fushunkan is open. From inside, you look across the garden at the run of eaves and roof.
To get a feel for 51 metres, walk it from the corner of the pawn storehouse to the shrine. Photographing outdoors should pose no problem, but leave the shrine untouched.
Directions and general visiting conditions for the estate are on the Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- Where is Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall?
- It encloses the south and west sides of the garden south of the main house, running north from the pawn storehouse and turning to end at a wooden shrine southwest of the treasure storehouse.
- How long is Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall?
- It is 51 metres long, registered together with the gate set into it and the shrine at its end.
- How is the Fushunkan garden wall built?
- A timber frame on a stone base, eaves carried on projecting degeta beams and a tiled roof, with a small bracket-arm gate at the southeast corner.
- When was the Hoashi garden wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taishō period, between 1912 and 1925, without giving an exact year.
- Why is the Fushunkan garden wall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a carefully built wall giving the estate's perimeter a landscape of high quality.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 4381-1 Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/11/29 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 51 metres long, with a gate and a shrine |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Viewable from inside the grounds during opening hours |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006075
- List of Nationally Designated and Selected Cultural Properties (Oita Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
- Visitor Information and Access (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/about.html
- Hoashi Honke (Fushunkan and Garden) (Oita City Tourist Association)
- https://www.oishiimati-oita.jp/spot/374
Last verified: 2026.09.26
