About the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert
The Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert (旧北陸線罠山谷暗渠, Kyū Hokurikusen Wanayamadani Ankyo) is a former railway culvert in Yokohama, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, built around 1896 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016. It carried a stream beneath the track, and the structure field of the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives it as 44 m long and 3.1 m wide, with a stone channel.
It lies about 1.3 km northeast of the Sorojidani Tunnel and about 400 m south of the First Kannonji Tunnel. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism sheet says it was built to take the line across the Takehana River. It is owned by Fukui Prefecture.
Why the Wanayamadani Culvert Was Registered
The Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert was registered with the eleven tunnels and the Yamanaka Rock Shed, as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. It is the only one of the thirteen that is neither a tunnel nor a rock shed, a reminder that the railway had to cross valleys as well as cut through ridges.
The Agency describes it as the largest culvert on the old line, a steeply inclined passage set about 20 m below the level of the track. By taking the stream far below the track, it let the line cross the valley on its way up to the pass. It is an inconspicuous structure, but the climb could not have worked without it.
What to Look for at the Wanayamadani Culvert
According to the Agency, the side walls and portals are cut stone and the arch is brick. It is the same stone-and-brick pairing used in the tunnels, scaled down to a passage for water, and it runs at a steep slope rather than level, which is the clearest difference from the tunnels above.
The striking thing about the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert is its depth. It sits about 20 m below the old track bed, so travellers on the road above can pass without realising that a Meiji culvert opens in the valley beneath them. Keeping that drop in mind, on a map or on the spot, shows how high above the stream the railway crossed this valley.
Visiting the Wanayamadani Culvert
Unlike the tunnels, the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert is not something you can walk or drive through from the road. It lies in the valley about 20 m below road level, and no maintained path down to it has been confirmed. The slopes are likely to be steep and unstable, so please do not try to climb down.
There is no fee or reception, and it is safest to assume that viewing is limited to looking down into the valley from the road. The First Kannonji Tunnel is about 400 m to the north, so a walk along the chain of tunnels is a good chance to note where the line once crossed this valley.
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Q&A
- How do you read the name of the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert, and where is it?
- It is read Wanayamadani. The culvert is in Yokohama, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, about 1.3 km northeast of the Sorojidani Tunnel and about 400 m south of the First Kannonji Tunnel.
- What is the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert?
- A culvert that carried a stream, the Takehana River, beneath the railway. Its side walls and portals are cut stone with a brick arch, and the Agency calls it the largest culvert on the old line.
- How big is the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert?
- The structure field of the Agency database gives 44 m long and 3.1 m wide. The descriptive text in the same database and a ministry sheet give the length as about 46 m.
- When was the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert built, and when was it registered?
- The Agency database dates it to around 1896. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016.
- Can you visit the Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert?
- It lies about 20 m below the road and cannot be walked through. No path down has been confirmed, so stay on the road and do not try to climb down the slope.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert |
|---|---|
| Location | Yokohama, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2016 (Heisei 28), registered |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Length 44 m, width 3.1 m |
| Owner | Fukui Prefecture |
| Public Access | In a valley below the road, not passable; no confirmed access path |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010955
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hokuriku Line Wanayamadani Culvert
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/283866
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Meiji-era infrastructure sheet: Wanayamadani Culvert
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/region/infratourism/assets/pdf/meiji/kinki074.pdf
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line Sorojidani Tunnel
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010954
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line First Kannonji Tunnel
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010956
- Tsuruga City: List of national and prefectural cultural properties
- https://www.city.tsuruga.lg.jp/page/4435.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07
