What Is the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall?
The Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall (旧柿原商店石塀, Kyū Kakihara Shōten Ishibei) is a stone boundary wall built in 1930 along the northern edge of a meisen silk wholesaler's premises in Honmachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 21, 2002. It runs for about 30 m and is counted as a single structure.
The Kakihara premises occupy a corner lot. The store and main house hold the east frontage; the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall holds the north. It is a piece of site work rather than a building, but like the main house it presents the premises to the street.
Coursed Ashlar on a Cobbled Base
The Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall is built of dressed tuff laid in Nunozumi, a coursed technique in which blocks of equal height are set in horizontal rows so that each bed joint runs straight along the wall. The regular banding that results gives the wall its character. Tuff, a rock formed from compacted volcanic ash, is soft and easy to work, which makes it well suited to cutting into neat blocks.
The ground along the north edge of the lot is not level. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall deals with the slope in its footing, which is built of rounded cobbles. Cobble work of this kind adapts easily to uneven ground even when the stones are irregular. Walk along the slope and you will notice how much of the cobbled base shows beneath the dressed stone changes from place to place.
An Arched Side Gate
Partway along the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall is a side entrance with an arched head. The Agency for Cultural Affairs makes a point of recording this arched opening; set in a face otherwise ruled by horizontal joints, it is the one curve in the wall.
The wall was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country, with registration number 11-0045. The agency credits it with giving a merchant house of the early Shōwa era a well-finished outer boundary.
Chichibu City's description includes a line calling the wall the outer works of a Meiji-era merchant house, while the same page gives the construction date as 1930. The agency's database also gives 1930, and this article follows it. The city page also counts the wall as one building, where the agency lists it as one structure.
Seeing the Stone Wall
The Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall faces the road on the north side of the premises and can be seen from there at any hour, whatever Chichibu Furusatokan's opening hours and including its Wednesday closing day.
Walk it end to end. Over its 30 m you pass the level courses of ashlar, the cobbled footing that takes up the slope, and the arched side gate in the middle. Photographing from the road is generally unproblematic, but keep clear of passing traffic. Directions to the whole complex are on the Former Kakihara Shoten page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1930. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 21, 2002.
- What stone is the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall made of?
- Dressed tuff laid in level courses, on a base of rounded cobbles that deals with the slope of the ground.
- How long is the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall?
- About 30 m. It marks the northern edge of the premises.
- What should I look for on the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall?
- The side gate partway along, whose arched head is the one curve in a wall of straight horizontal joints.
- Can I see the Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall at any time?
- Yes. It faces the road on the north side and can be viewed from there at any hour, including on Wednesdays when Chichibu Furusatokan is closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall (旧柿原商店石塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1404-4 Honmachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 11-0045 |
| Year Designated | Registered August 21, 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, about 30 m long |
| Owner | Chichibu City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the road at all times |
References
- Cultural Properties Database: Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002891
- Former Kakihara Shoten Stone Wall (Chichibu City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/4258.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
