Nozurazumi walls are built by looking closely at the natural shape of each stone and piling them up one by one. The technique is hard to master. Nagayama looks especially at the gaps in which the smaller stones are placed. The random gaps left by the natural shapes themselves also serve as shock absorbers during earthquakes. The visible inserted stones are aligned with the outer surface but the gaps are deep and there are also supporting stones and stones placed inside for drainage purposes. The key point is that the stone walls should not be too tightly packed, for that would weaken the walls. Nagayama observes that the natural fluctuations and shifts “achieve a beautiful balance between the governable and ungovernable.”

Nagayama goes to the site of the old gate of the Shiga-in temple to meet the 15th head of the Anoshu guild, Suminori Awata. Walking up the stonewall-lined approach, she notices a large boulder that has been placed diagonally. Does the way the walls are piled up reflect the individual approaches of the head masons of each era? “I am fascinated by the addition of expression to the wall-making skill,” she says. These sturdy walls have now stood for over 400 years and continue to serve as a text for succeeding generations. Today, too, the masons are learning through restoration work about the skills of their predecessors. Nagayama senses the importance of learning from past example.

The stones used to make the walls were mostly quarried in nearby places. They were produced and consumed locally. They present both the natural individuality of form with which they were obtained and the distinctive flavor of the region. Consistent walls built with stones of uniform size and shape also have their own beauty, but the attraction of Norazumi lies in this natural randomness. A great diversity of stone is incorporated in each wall, and the steady accretion of moss then adds to the effect. Nagayama applauds how beautifully the stones blend together in the walls, and the walls in the larger scene.