Yokouchi Family Residence Earthen Wall

A 31-metre wall around the northwest corner

The Yokouchi Family Residence Earthen Wall (横内家住宅土塀, dobei) in Shijocho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, is a tiled earthen wall built in the late Meiji period (1898-1912); it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2015.

The Yokouchi earthen wall turns a right angle around the northwest side of the property and runs for 31 metres. Of the five registered structures of the Yokouchi Family Residence, it is the one that shows most to the street.

Rough stone below, thick wall above

Its base is an stone wall of large natural stones laid without dressing, the technique called Nozurazumi. On top stands a Tsuijibei, a rammed-earth wall about 0.6 metres thick, finished in lime plaster and capped with pantiles.

Because the road rises and falls, the stone base changes height as it goes. It is tallest on the west side, at about 1.9 metres. Walk along it and the stonework slowly gains height beneath a steady line of plastered wall and tile.

A wall with the air of a castle

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Yokouchi Family Residence Earthen Wall as having a dignity that recalls castle walls. Rough stone and a deep earthen wall make for a heavy enclosure by the standards of a private house.

Inside, the main house, the inner parlor wing and the front gate were each reworked at different times. This late Meiji wall holds the outer edge of all of it and gives the compound its outline on the village street.

It was registered on August 4, 2015 (number 27-0635), under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.

Visiting

The Yokouchi earthen wall faces the road, so its outer side can be seen from the public street. The house is a private home, and we found no information on access to the grounds as of October 2026.

To follow the change in height of the stone base, walk along the wall from the west side round to the north. Take photographs from the edge of the road without blocking traffic, and do not touch or climb the wall.