What Is the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall?
The Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall (兒山家住宅土塀, Koyama-ke Jūtaku Dobei) is the set of walls enclosing a wealthy farming family's estate in Tokikita, Naka Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture; it was built in the late Edo period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 February 2002. The walls have a timber frame with tiled coping and run to 105 meters in total.
The Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall is not a single continuous wall. It is a group of wall sections in different parts of the estate, registered together as one property, and it comes in two distinct types.
Sealed Walls Around the Garden
The first type buries its posts and other timbers inside the earthen wall, so that only a plain plastered surface shows on both faces. Sections of this kind enclose the garden in the east part of the estate on its south, east and north sides, and fill the gap between the inner storehouse and the barn.
The garden opens in front of the reception wing and the annex. These sealed walls close it off on three sides and separate it from the rest of the estate.
An Exposed Frame at the Southwest Corner
The second type runs in an L-shape at the southwest corner of the estate, between the gatehouse and the retirement quarters. Here the posts, Udeki bracket arms and projecting eave beams are left visible, with Shikkui plaster on the upper half and Tateita-bari vertical boarding below.
A wall with its framework on show looks lighter than a sealed one. Because it links the two public-facing buildings, its white upper wall and boarded base match theirs, and the front of the estate reads as a single line.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the walls, together with the outward-facing buildings beside them, as an indispensable part of the estate, and registered the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall
The Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall surrounds a private home, and the grounds are closed.
The section of the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall easiest to see from the public road is the exposed-frame wall at the southwest corner, between the gatehouse and the retirement quarters; the sealed walls around the garden are in the east part of the estate. Please do not touch or lean on the walls.
Q&A
- What is the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall?
- A set of late Edo-period walls enclosing the estate, timber-framed with tiled coping and 105 meters long in total, registered together as one property.
- When did the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 14 February 2002, as registration number 27-0176, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What types of wall make up the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall?
- Walls sealed in plaster on both faces around the garden and between the inner storehouse and barn, and an exposed-frame wall with plaster above and boarding below at the southwest corner.
- How long is the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives a total length of 105 meters.
- Can I see the Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall from outside?
- The section at the southwest corner between the gatehouse and the retirement quarters is easy to see from the public road. The grounds are closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall (兒山家住宅土塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1404 Tokikita, Naka-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 27-0176 |
| Year Designated | Registered 14 February 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, tiled coping, total length 105 meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (exterior viewing from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyama Family Residence Earthen Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002655
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/bunkazai/bunkazai/torokuseido/koyamakejutaku.html
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai Tourist Guide, in Japanese)
- https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/spot/detail/219
Last verified: 2026.09.28
