A Shed on the Old Freight Siding
The Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed (小湊鉄道上総鶴舞駅貨物上屋) is a goods shed of around 1925 in the yard of Kazusa Tsurumai Station in the Ikewada district of Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 2, 2017. A shed of this kind is a roofed, largely open structure that kept freight out of the rain.
The Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed stands beside the station building along the former freight track, in the same yard as the registered station building and the former power station.
Posts Set Back for Working Room
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a gabled shed 11 meters by 5.5 meters, with a building area of 59 square meters. On the track side the posts are set back one ken (about 1.8 meters) to leave working space on the platform for loading.
The posts are unsquared logs, braced with closely spaced diagonals. The agency calls the shed a valuable relic of freight traffic in the Taishō and early Shōwa years.
The agency's record contradicts itself on the frame. The description calls it a timber shed and mentions the log posts, while the structure field lists a single-storey steel frame with a sheet-metal roof. The power station in the same yard shows the opposite mismatch, so this article gives both readings.
Seeing It
The Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed is part of the station yard and is viewed from the platform or near the station building. Look for the line of set-back posts with the platform surface spread in front of them, and for the way the log posts and diagonal braces are fixed together.
Since Typhoon No. 25 struck in September 2026, the line between Kazusa Ushiku and Kazusa-Nakano has been suspended until further notice, with no replacement buses (company statement of September 24, 2026), so for now it cannot be reached by train.
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Q&A
- When was the Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed built?
- Around 1925, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What was the freight shed used for?
- Loading and unloading goods along the freight track, under cover.
- What is distinctive about the Kazusa Tsurumai freight shed?
- Its track-side posts are set back to leave working room on the platform, and its log posts are closely braced.
- Is the Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed timber or steel?
- The agency's description says timber, but the structure field of the same record says steel frame.
- Can I visit the freight shed now?
- Not by train. The line beyond Kazusa Ushiku has been suspended since typhoon damage in September 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Kominato Railway Kazusa Tsurumai Station Freight Shed (小湊鉄道上総鶴舞駅貨物上屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1322 Tajiri, Ikewada, Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/5/2 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | 11 meters by 5.5 meters, gabled, building area 59 square meters (the agency's record gives both timber and steel frame) |
| Owner | Kominato Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior viewed from the station (section suspended after 2026 typhoon damage) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 小湊鉄道上総鶴舞駅貨物上屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011470
- Cultural Heritage Online: 小湊鉄道上総鶴舞駅貨物上屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285666
- Kominato Railway: 22 facilities registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.kominato.co.jp/corporate/topics/heritage/index.html
- Kominato Railway: Damage from Typhoon No. 25 and recovery outlook, September 24, 2026 (Japanese)
- https://www.kominato.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/30216b45daba750194c363de3f54800f.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
