Ninety-Seven Metres of Cut Stone
Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall (中野家住宅石垣, Nakano-ke Jūtaku Ishigaki) is a boundary wall of around 1909 on the Nakano family estate in Ifuku, Tara Town, Saga Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017. It runs for a total of 97 metres.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall is in 2 sections: 30 metres running east of the gateposts and turning north at a right angle, and 67 metres running west of the gateposts and wrapping around the garden.
How It Is Built, and Why It Was Registered
The wall is laid in 2 courses of dressed stone, with a flat top made to carry a fence or wall above. The estate's boundary was once a low stone base with a screen standing on it.
Registration came under the criterion for contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency praises the careful workmanship and good condition, and calls the wall essential to understanding how the estate was laid out. Dated to around 1909 like the gateposts, it shows the boundary being set in the same years the main house was built.
What to Look For
Look first at the neatness of the 2 courses. Unlike a wall of rough fieldstone, the dressed blocks sit on level joints, and the top runs dead straight to take the structure it once carried.
The plan matters as well. The east section turns north to close the side of the property; the west section encloses the garden. Starting from the gate, the two arms do different jobs, one marking the frontage and the other the garden.
No record has been found of the present state of whatever once stood on top of the wall.
Visiting the Stone Wall
The Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall bounds a private home, and the grounds are not open to the public. How much of it can be seen from the public road has not been confirmed. Do not climb the wall or enter the grounds.
No policy on photography has been published. The history of the estate as a whole is set out on the Nakano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- How long is the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall?
- 97 metres in total, in 2 sections: 30 metres running east of the gateposts and turning north at a right angle, and 67 metres running west of the gateposts around the garden.
- How is the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall built?
- In 2 courses of dressed stone, with a flat top designed to carry a fence or wall.
- When was the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall built?
- Around 1909. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017.
- Why was the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall registered?
- For its careful workmanship, good condition and importance for understanding the layout of the estate, as a contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I see the Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall?
- It bounds a private home and the grounds are not open. How much is visible from the public road has not been confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall (中野家住宅石垣) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ko 1978, Oaza Ifuku, Tara Town, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 41-0104 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/5/2 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, total length 97 metres in 2 sections of 30 metres and 67 metres; dressed stone laid in 2 courses |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (private residence kept by the Nakano family) |
| Public Access | Private residence, not open to the public; no entry to the grounds |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Stone Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011601
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Gateposts
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011600
Last verified: 2026.09.25
