Tanaka Family Residence Tsuiji Wall

The Tanaka Family Residence Tsuiji Wall

The Tanaka Family Residence Tsuiji Wall (田中家住宅築地塀, Tanaka-ke Jūtaku Tsuijibei) is a thick roofed wall built in the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) along the old Kishu Kaido in Sukematsucho, Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2007. It closes the roadside edge of the estate once known as the Sukematsu Honjin.

Starting at the northeast corner of the front gate, the wall runs north beside the highway and turns along the estate's northern boundary. It stands 2.3 metres high and is 65 centimetres thick at the base, narrowing to 59 centimetres at the top, where a small roof of sangawara pantiles keeps the rain off.

Why a Wall Was Registered

The Tanaka Family Residence Tsuiji Wall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. From the road, the Tanaka estate is essentially its gate and this wall; without the wall, the gate would stand alone and the outline of a honjin compound would be lost.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives two lengths: 57 metres in the structure field and 51 metres, including the bends, in the explanatory note. The difference probably reflects what was measured, but the database does not say, so both figures are given here.

Details at Street Level

Look down at the base. Along the whole road side runs a curved bamboo guard, the inuyarai, which protects the foot of the wall from splashes and knocks and throws a soft line of shadow along the street.

Midway along there is a small side door, separate from the main gate and used for everyday comings and goings. In a long run of blank plaster 2.3 metres tall, it is the one break that helps you judge the wall's length.

Seeing the Wall

Because the Tsuiji Wall of the Tanaka Family Residence faces the old Kishu Kaido, its outer face can be seen from the public road. The estate is a private home and not open to visitors, so the side door and the grounds behind it are off limits. Photograph from the street without blocking traffic.