Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall

A Black-Plastered Wall Between House and Barn

The Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall (廣海家住宅高塀, Hiroumi-ke jūtaku takabei) is an earthen wall from the early Meiji period in Nishimachi, Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.

It runs south from the southeast corner of the main house and ends against the barn in the southeast corner of the lot. It is 21 meters long and capped with pantiles (Sangawara-buki).

The Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall is the only one of the 8 registered structures that is not a building, yet it is what defines the east face of the compound.

Why It Matters

It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that together with the main house and the barn it shapes the streetscape of the temple town.

The long front of the main house edges the street to the north; the high wall and barn edge the road to the east. Between them, buildings and wall enclose nearly a whole block, and the Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall completes the circuit.

What to Look For

The two faces are finished completely differently. Outside, the base is vertical boarding, and above the drip line the wall is coated in black plaster (Shikkui) right up to the moulded cornice under the eaves: a heavy, formal face to the street.

Inside, the posts are left exposed (Shinkabe), so from within the compound it read as a lighter timber-framed wall. One face for the town, another for the household.

From the road, follow the changes of material from bottom to top: boarding, drip line, black plaster, cornice. The cornice is built up in several layers of plaster, and its shadows give life to an otherwise all-black wall.

Visiting the Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall

The Hiroumi Family Residence High Wall faces the street, and its outer face can be seen from the road on the east side of the compound. Stand where you can take in the run from the corner of the main house to the barn to see the continuous street front the Agency describes.

The inner face is inside the grounds and cannot be seen. The wall also marks the boundary of a private home, so please do not peer or photograph through gaps or gates. How the compound fits together, and how to get there, is covered on the Hiroumi Family Residence page.