What the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall Is
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall (旧長島家住宅長屋塀, Kyū Nagashima-ke Jūtaku Nagayabei) is a late Edo-period nagayabei, a long single-story storage range that also serves as the estate's boundary wall, at the former headman's residence in Koyatsubayashi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024. It joins the front gate on its west side and runs west along the southern edge of the property.
It is a timber building with a tiled gable roof, white plaster walls and a skirting of Oya stone. The proportions are extreme: one bay deep and twenty-one bays long, with a building area of 72 square meters. Its shape tells you what it is for.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it as one building; a Saitama Prefecture press release lists it as one structure. This article follows the national record.
Why the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall Was Registered
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the official description points to its south face, where evenly spaced windows give the estate's front its character.
Combining a wall with a storehouse makes efficient use of a property's edge. From outside it reads as a long enclosing wall; from inside it is a row of rooms for tools and harvests. It applies to a wall the same thinking that the better-known nagayamon applies to a gatehouse.
With the front gate beside it and the Taisho-era stone rice storehouse beyond the gate, it completes the three-part southern front of the estate. Of the three, it supplies by far the longest stretch of that facade.
What to Look For at the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall
Count the bays on the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall. The central bay of the twenty-one is a doorway hung with a plank door. Three rooms line up on each side, and each room has one window on the south face, so six windows sit at equal intervals, three either side of the door.
Then look at the two materials. White plaster above and a band of greenish-gray Oya stone below split the long wall horizontally and give it a calm, steady rhythm. The stone at its base is the same stone used for the storehouses and the outer wall deeper in the estate.
An official survey photograph of the interior shows the upper walls finished in plaster, so even as a storeroom it was plastered on the inside.
Visiting the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall
The Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall stands on the Nagashima Memorial Museum grounds and can be seen from outside on opening days. The official guide says nothing about access to the interior, so ask at reception if you would like to look inside.
For the whole length, stand at the southwest and look along it at an angle, the same view as the registration photograph. The windows tighten with distance and the length becomes dramatic. At its east end, look at how it meets the front gate.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- What is the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall?
- It is a long storage range that doubles as the estate's boundary wall: single story, tiled gable roof, one bay deep and twenty-one bays long, with three rooms on each side of a central doorway.
- How old is the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, 1751 to 1830, the same period as the front gate.
- When was the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, as contributing to the historic landscape.
- How many windows does the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall have?
- Six, one for each room, spaced evenly along the south face. The central bay is a doorway with a plank door.
- Can visitors go inside the Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall?
- The museum's official guide does not mention interior access. The exterior can be viewed on opening days; ask at reception about the inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 1022 Ozakai, Koyatsubayashi, Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 6, 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 1 bay deep, 21 bays long; building area 72 square meters |
| Owner | Nagashima Memorial Foundation |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable on the Nagashima Memorial Museum grounds (admission charged); interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Nagashima Family Residence Nagayabei
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014744
- Kumagaya City: Eight structures of the Former Nagashima Family Residence registered (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kumagaya.lg.jp/about/soshiki/kyoiku/kounanbunkazaicenter/oshirase/ta22160120240.html
- Saitama Prefecture: New Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kumagaya City (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/f2216/news/page/news2023112402.html
- Nagashima Memorial Museum: Hours, admission and access (Japanese)
- https://nagashimakinenkan.com/guide.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
