一般社団法人石積み学校

石積み学校とは

石積み学校は、石積み技術の継承と石積みの修復をしているグループです。

石積み学校は、農地の石積み技術を継承するために、2013年に設立されました。コンクリートを用いない空石積みの技術を有する人が少なくなり、石積みの風景を継承することが困難になってきていたためです。

以来、石積み学校では石積みの風景と、それを支える技術の継承を目的として活動しています。

そのために、崩れかけた石積みを実際に修復しながら積み方を学ぶワークショップを開催したり、石積みの価値と技術を伝えるための講演会や授業を受け持ったり、おせっかいとご縁に導かれながら様々な活動を行なっています。

About The Dry Stone Walling school of Japan

The Dry Stone Walling School of Japan was established in 2013 to preserve and pass on the traditional techniques of Japanese dry stone wall construction. There is a scarcity of people capable of building stone walls without mortar in Japan, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the rural landscapes that feature these walls.

Since its founding, the school has been dedicated to preserving both the scenic beauty of dry stone walls and the craftsmanship behind them. To achieve this, we organize workshops where participants learn by repairing damaged stone walls. We also offer lectures, classes and a variety of related activities. These explore the theoretical benefits of dry stone walling and teach its practical techniques,

The value of Dry Stone Walls

The stonework of terraced fields in Japan’s mountainous regions was built using a technique called dry stone walling, which does not use mortar or concrete. However, as concrete technology became more widespread, dry stone walling gradually fell out of use, with people mistakenly believing concrete was an improvement. Until recently dry stone walling techniques were on the verge of extinction in Japan.

Meanwhile as sustainable development becomes a shared global value, dry stone walling is making a resurgence in Europe due its positive environmental impact. Cement based mortar and concrete are a major contributor to carbon dioxide production, whereas dry stone walling does not use cement and reuses stone from collapsed walls or uses local stone. An additional environmental benefit is the ability of dry stone walls to withstand flooding and earthquakes.

The relatively small scale of these walls in Japan’s mountainous areas makes them inaccessible to heavy machinery and best maintained and managed by hand. In addition the early signs of a collapsing wall are easily spotted. This allows communities to repair collapsed and collapsing walls themselves. This hands-on approach fosters a sense of responsibility and understanding of the land, helps preserve the cultural heritage and contributes to disaster mitigation. 

There is an old Japanese saying about dry stone walling that goes something like this: 

‘First, the fill; second, the face stones; third, the stacking.’

This is similar to the English saying:

‘Heart your wall well, and it will stand forever.’

This means; the most important thing in dry stone walling is the fill or ‘heart’– small stones that are placed behind the stacked facing stones, second is the choice and alignment of the facing stones, and third is the skill of the layering expert. In other words, if the fill stones are placed firmly behind the stacked facing stones and stones that weather easily are not used for facing, a retaining wall that is sufficiently durable can be constructed, even with less skilful layering. When examining collapsing stonework, there is often a lack of fill stones. 

Nowadays, with dry stone walling in danger of becoming a dying art, The Japanese Dry Stone Walling School exists to preserve these straightforward skills and to propagate them widely.