About the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel
The Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel (旧北陸線樫曲トンネル, Kyū Hokurikusen Kashimagari Tonneru) is a former railway tunnel in Kashimagari, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, completed in 1893 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016. It lies about 3.7 km northeast of Tsuruga Station and is a straight bore 87 m long and 3.9 m wide.
It was the first tunnel on the old line out of Tsuruga toward Imajō. The Usogōchi Tunnel that followed it has since disappeared, and the Habara Tunnel, where the climb proper begins, is about 6 km farther north, so the Kashimagari Tunnel stands apart from the rest of the group. Its completion date is the earliest of the thirteen structures in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database. It is owned by Fukui Prefecture.
Why the Kashimagari Tunnel Was Registered
The Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel was registered with the other twelve structures of the old line, as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. It still marks the point where the old railway left the plain around Tsuruga and turned into the hills.
The contractor was Ōta Rokurō. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes him as the first holder of an engineering degree to set up a contracting company, and Tsuruga City records that he was in the second class of the civil engineering course at the Imperial College of Engineering. The tunnel is therefore an early example of a university-trained engineer founding his own firm and building railways for hire.
The design is unusual too. On a line where stone dominates, only the Kashimagari Tunnel and the lost Usogōchi Tunnel at the Tsuruga end, and the Yamanaka and Iradani tunnels at the Imajō end, were built entirely of brick, portals included.
What to Look for at the Kashimagari Tunnel
Start at the top of the portal. Where other tunnels on the line use cut stone for the coping and string course, the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel forms them in brick, with the horizontal bands picked out in coursing alone. It is a neat solution: a formal portal achieved without a single dressed block.
Next, look at the edge of the arch where it meets the portal. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the lining is five bricks thick. Count the rings of brick turned around the opening and you get a sense of how solidly even a short 87 m bore was built.
Inside, the side walls are in English bond, alternating rows of bricks shown lengthwise and end-on, and the arch above is in stretcher bond, all lengthwise. Because the tunnel is straight, you can see from one portal right through to the daylight at the other.
Visiting the Kashimagari Tunnel
The Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel opens right beside National Route 476 and now serves as a passage for pedestrians, closed to cars. There is no fee or reception, and walking through lets you study the brickwork at close range.
It lies about 6 km from the cluster of tunnels on the climb, so plan it as a separate stop. Because it faces the national road, stay off the carriageway when photographing the portal head-on. The bore gets dark toward evening, so daylight hours are best.
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Q&A
- How do you read the name of the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel, and where is it?
- It is read Kashimagari. The tunnel is in Kashimagari, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, about 3.7 km northeast of Tsuruga Station and right beside National Route 476.
- When was the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel built, and when was it registered?
- It was completed in 1893, the earliest of the thirteen structures, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016 with the other twelve.
- Who built the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel?
- Ōta Rokurō, the first engineering graduate to found a contracting company. Tsuruga City records that he studied civil engineering in the second class of the Imperial College of Engineering.
- What is distinctive about the brickwork of the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel?
- Both the lining and the portals are brick, even the coping and string course. The lining is five bricks thick, with English bond walls and a stretcher bond arch.
- Can you walk through the Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel, and is there a fee?
- Yes. It now serves as a pedestrian passage and can be walked through freely, with no fee or reception. Take care with traffic on the national road when photographing the portal.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel |
|---|---|
| Location | Kashimagari, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2016 (Heisei 28), registered |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Length 87 m, width 3.9 m |
| Owner | Fukui Prefecture |
| Public Access | Open as a pedestrian passage; no fee or reception |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010951
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hokuriku Line Kashimagari Tunnel
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/273242
- Japan Heritage Portal: component property Kashimagari Tunnel
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4961/
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Meiji-era infrastructure sheet: Kashimagari Tunnel
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/region/infratourism/assets/pdf/meiji/kinki065.pdf
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line Habara Tunnel
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010952
- Tsuruga City: List of national and prefectural cultural properties
- https://www.city.tsuruga.lg.jp/page/4435.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07
