What Is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall?
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall (旧石橋家住宅南塀, Kyū Ishibashi-ke Jūtaku Minami-bei) is a late Meiji-period wall built between 1898 and 1912 in Serimachi, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2013. It is a timber wall with a tiled roof, 3.3 metres high and 21 metres long in total.
It fills the gap between the East Main House and the Middle Main House on the street front, and it also runs along the east side of the East Main House, turning at a right angle (Kaneore). The compound has four registered walls. This is the only one on the street side; the other three stand at the back of the plot.
Why It Was Registered: A Tall Wall for the Street Front
The Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall is capped with a gabled roof of pantiles (Kirizuma-zukuri, Sangawara-buki). On the outer face, vertical boards run high up the lower part of the wall. Above them, the upper band is built in the Shinkabe manner, with the posts left visible, and finished with Shikkui plaster and similar coats: boards below, plaster above, the same arrangement as a townhouse facade.
It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs presents it as a high wall that sets off the front of an old family house. Three main houses line the street here, and this wall closes the space between two of them, so the frontage reads as one unbroken face.
Where the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall Steps Down
One detail changes along the length of the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall. According to the national record, the ridge is lowered where the wall meets the neighbouring plot to the east.
So a single wall is built at two heights: one for most of its run, and a lower one along the boundary with the house next door. It reads as a courtesy to the neighbour, carried out in roof tiles.
The wall dates from the late Meiji period, the same period as the East Main House it wraps around. The Middle Main House on its west side is earlier, from the early Meiji period, which makes the East Main House and the South Wall the newer part of the street front.
Seeing the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall
Of the four walls, the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall is the one visible from the public street. The grounds are closed, so a visit means looking at the exterior from the road. The section between the East and Middle Main Houses is the easiest to take in; seen together with the projecting lattice fronts of the houses on either side, the division into boarded base and plastered band is easy to follow.
Directions and viewing conditions for the whole compound are on the Former Ishibashi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall built and registered?
- It dates from the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 21, 2013.
- How tall and how long is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall?
- It is 3.3 metres high and 21 metres long in total, the second longest of the compound's four walls after the West Wall.
- Can I see the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall from the street?
- Yes. It is the only one of the four walls on the street side, and the section between the East and Middle Main Houses can be seen from the road. The grounds themselves are closed.
- How is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall built?
- It is a timber wall under a gabled pantile roof. The outer face has tall vertical boarding at the base and an upper band with exposed posts, finished in plaster.
- Is the Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall the same height all the way along?
- No. Where it meets the neighbouring plot to the east, the ridge is lowered.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall (旧石橋家住宅南塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 11 Serimachi and others, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2013 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, 3.3 metres high, total length 21 metres |
| Owner | Hikone City |
| Public Access | Grounds closed (the street-facing section can be seen from the road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence South Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009634
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence East Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009627
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009628
- Hikone Tourism Association: Former Ishibashi Family Residence Middle Main House
- https://www.hikoneshi.com/sightseeing/article/kyu-ishibashike-jutaku-nakashuoku
Last verified: 2026.09.28
