What the Kangobei Fence Is
The Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence (岩根家住宅籠塀, Iwane-ke Jūtaku Kangobei) in Gokenya 2-chome, Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture, is a timber, tile-roofed boundary wall of the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918), registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on November 17, 2015. It is 45 meters long and 1.8 meters high, with a small wicket door.
It runs from the west end of the south storehouse to the corner of the west storehouse, bending once as it follows the southwest edge of the estate. Tondabayashi City describes the south side of the property as meeting an old road, with a tile-roofed board fence running along the top of the stone wall.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs reading of the name is kangobei, and it classifies the fence not as a building but as an other structure.
Layered from Stone to Tile
The Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence changes material as it rises. According to the Agency, it starts with a stone wall of cut blocks laid in the Tanizumi manner, set diagonally so that the joints run in slanting lines across the face. Coping stones are laid flat along the top, and the fence stands on them.
On the outside, vertical boards reach to about waist height, and the narrow wall band above is finished in Shikkui plaster. The inside face is plastered too. A gabled pantile roof (Kirizuma-zukuri, Sangawara-buki) caps the whole.
Stone, coping, boards, plaster, tile. The sequence holds for all 45 meters. Only the direction changes: the fence turns once with the boundary and heads for the corner of the west storehouse.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency writes that the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence contributes to the street landscape of a historic settlement. It is register no. 27-0641, registered under the historic landscape criterion.
The outward face of the estate is made by three structures: the gatehouse on the east, the south storehouse on the south and the kangobei fence on the southwest. All three are dated to the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918), which suggests the street front was put in order at one time.
Seeing the Kangobei Fence
Because the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence faces outward, its outer face can be seen from the public road. Walking along it you can read the diagonal joints of the stone base, the level line of the coping, the change from boards to plaster, and the tile roof.
The inner face and the inside of the wicket door cannot be seen. The road outside is a local street, so choose a spot where you will not block traffic if you stop. Viewing conditions and directions for the whole estate are on the Iwane Family Residence group page.
Q&A
- How do you read the name of the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence?
- Iwane-ke Jūtaku Kangobei, following the furigana in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- How large is the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence and how is it built?
- It is a timber, tile-roofed fence 45 meters long and 1.8 meters high with a wicket door. It stands on coping stones laid on a cut-stone wall in the tanizumi manner; the outside is boarded to waist height with plaster above, and the inside is plastered.
- Where does the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence run?
- From the south storehouse to the corner of the west storehouse, bending along the southwest edge of the estate.
- When was the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence registered?
- On November 17, 2015, as register no. 27-0641, on the same day as the tea room, the gatehouse, the south storehouse and the west storehouse.
- Can the Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence be seen from outside?
- Yes, its outer face can be seen from the public road. The inner side and the grounds cannot be entered, and the Iwane Family Residence is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence (岩根家住宅籠塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1525-1 Gokenya, Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 27-0641 |
| Year Designated | Registered November 17, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 45 meters long, 1.8 meters high, with wicket door |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Outer face visible from the public road |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010843
- Cultural Heritage Online: Iwane Family Residence Kangobei Fence
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/236458
- Registered Cultural Property: Iwane Family Residence (Tondabayashi City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.tondabayashi.lg.jp/site/bunkazai/2558.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
