What the Marui Family Residence Wall Is
The Marui Family Residence Wall (丸井家住宅塀, Marui-ke Jūtaku Hei) is a tiled timber wall built around 1916 along the north side of the Marui family estate in Etchumachi, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, and it was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 27, 2017.
The Marui Family Residence Wall runs east from the main house along the street, and the stretch that encloses the main house's inner garden continues southward. It is 13 meters long in all. Together with the main house, it is one of the few registered parts of the Marui estate that anyone can see from the street. The estate has a second registered wall, 11 meters long, inside the garden on its eastern side; that one is listed with the garden waiting arbor and is a separate structure.
Why the Marui Family Residence Wall Was Registered
The Marui Family Residence Wall was registered, as no. 31-237, for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs ends its description by calling it a wall that gives the street a distinctive character.
The reason is that its two faces are finished in completely different ways. On the street side, the lower part is clad in vertical boards of Yakisugi, charred cedar, and the upper part is Shinkabe, plaster set between exposed posts, painted red: black below, red above. On the inner side the wall is a grey-brown earth plaster, finished with visible brush marks. The bright face is turned to the passer-by; the quiet earth tone is kept for the garden.
The local tourism guide says the red wall and the main house together give the Marui family a front unlike any other in the town. Seen beside the red roof tiles of the main house, the wall's red becomes the thing you remember.
Details of the Marui Family Residence Wall
According to the Agency, the section of the Marui Family Residence Wall that encloses the main house's inner garden is pierced with diamond-shaped windows filled with a lattice of horizontal rails, and a small wicket door, a Kugurido, is set in the middle. Neither is the kind of detail you expect on a wall whose only job is to mark a boundary.
The charred boards at the base have a deep, matt black that throws the red plaster above into relief. That pairing is the shot most people will want of the Marui Family Residence Wall.
The inner garden and the tea house lie on the other side. Please do not try to look in through the windows.
Visiting the Marui Family Residence Wall
The street face of the Marui Family Residence Wall can be seen at any time from the public road on the north side, free of charge. The estate behind it is a private home and is not open, so the earth-plastered inner face cannot be seen.
Keep photography to the street face from the public road, and do not block the wicket door.
Q&A
- Can I see the Marui Family Residence Wall from outside?
- Yes. The Marui Family Residence Wall runs along the street on the north side of the estate, and its street face can be seen from the public road. The grounds behind it are closed.
- Why is the Marui Family Residence Wall red?
- Its upper street face is red-painted plaster set between exposed posts, above a base of charred cedar boards. With the red-tiled main house, it creates the estate's distinctive street front. No published source explains why red was chosen.
- When was the Marui Family Residence Wall registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017, under number 31-237. It is dated to around 1916.
- How long is the Marui Family Residence Wall and how is it built?
- It is a tiled timber wall 13 meters long. It runs east from the main house along the street, with the part enclosing the inner garden extending south. That part has latticed diamond windows and a wicket door in the middle.
- Is the Marui Family Residence Wall the same as the wall listed with the waiting arbor?
- No. The Marui Family Residence Wall is the 13-meter street wall on the north side. The wall registered with the waiting arbor is an 11-meter tiled wall inside the garden on the eastern side, and it is a separate registration.
Basic Information
| Name | Marui Family Residence Wall (丸井家住宅塀) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2148 Etchumachi and other lots, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 31-237 |
| Year Designated | Registered October 27, 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled, 13 meters long |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency database) |
| Public Access | Street face visible from the public road (grounds closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Maruike Jutaku Hei
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012018
- Cultural Heritage Online: Maruike Jutaku Hei
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/300969
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Maruike Jutaku Machiai oyobi Hei, Sodegaki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012017
- Kurayoshi Tourism MICE Association: Kurayoshi Cultural Property Walks (PDF)
- https://www.kurayoshi-kankou.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/bunkazai_sanpo.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.04
