Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall

What Is the Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall?

The Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall (旧井上家住宅土塀, Kyū-Inoue-ke Jūtaku Dobei) is a late Edo-period earthen wall around a village headman's estate in Kusaka, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 August 2024.

The Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall runs west from the front gate, turns north, circles the outer edge of both the upper and lower levels of the estate, and ends against the East Barn on the east side. At 166 meters in total, it encloses most of the property. It dates from the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, and was altered in the mid-Meiji period, the early Showa period and 1999.

Enclosing an Estate on a Slope

The Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall is registration number 27-0928, entered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a wall that gives the estate the dignified look of an old family seat.

The Inoue estate sits on sloping ground at the foot of Mount Ikoma, with a step between its upper and lower levels. The Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall follows that change in level all the way round, with the stone wall beneath it rising and falling to match. Osaka Bunkazai Navi notes the high stone walls on the west and north, topped by plastered walls, and compares the view from the west to a fortified manor.

How the Earthen Wall Is Built

The Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall is plastered in white Shikkui and capped with a Sangawara-buki tiled coping, drawing a single line of white wall and dark tile along the top of the masonry.

The height of the stonework below changes a great deal from place to place. On the downhill side the stone base grows tall and lifts the white wall high. The wall itself stays the same, but paired with the stone it looks different from every angle.

Together with storehouses that also stand on the stone wall, such as the Middle Storehouse and the North Storehouse, the Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall forms the outer edge of the estate. Through repairs in the Meiji, Showa and Heisei periods, the full 166-meter enclosure has been kept.

Visiting the Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall

The Former Inoue Family Residence, including the Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall, is not open to the public, and the grounds cannot be entered.

Because the Former Inoue Family Residence Earthen Wall runs around the outside of the estate, it is one of the easiest parts to see. Around the front gate and from the roads outside the estate, the white wall on its stone base can be viewed. Please do not touch or lean on the wall or the stonework. Directions are on the Former Inoue Family Residence page.