plaster wall; mortar-covered wall
Refers to a wall finished with plaster or mortar, common in traditional Japanese architecture.
The plaster wall of the old house has started to peel off.
Nurikabe (yōkai); invisible wall yōkai
A yōkai from Japanese folklore that appears as an invisible wall, blocking or misdirecting travelers at night. Often written 塗壁.
It is said that if you encounter a Nurikabe on a night road, you become unable to move forward.
Standard kanji spelling for the plaster wall sense.
Often used for the yōkai sense; this spelling is especially common for that meaning.
Compound of 塗り (nuri, 'plastering') + 壁 (kabe, 'wall'). The yōkai sense is a personification of the idea of an obstructing wall.