About the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel
The Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel (旧北陸線山中トンネル, Kyū Hokurikusen Yamanaka Tonneru) is a former railway tunnel in Motohida, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, completed in 1896 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016. It is a straight bore 1,170 m long and 3.7 m wide, the longest on the old Tsuruga to Imajō section.
Its south portal is about 90 m northeast of the Iradani Tunnel, and Tsuruga City's list shows the tunnel running from Motohida in Tsuruga into Yamanaka in Minami Echizen Town. About 1 km northeast of the north portal stands the Yamanaka Rock Shed. It is owned by Fukui Prefecture.
Why the Yamanaka Tunnel Was Registered
The Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel was registered with the other twelve structures of the old line, as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as built on a scale that put it among the largest railway tunnels in Japan, and notes that, like the Habara Tunnel, it was completed only after very difficult work.
Tsuruga City's commentary for the Japan Heritage listing names the builder as Satō-gumi and says the job took three years, with hard rock and water seeping into the workings. The portals and lining are brick throughout, which the city counts, together with Kashimagari and Iradani, as a special design on a stretch dominated by stone.
Above the portals hung plaques written by Kuroda Kiyotaka, then Minister of Communications and a former prime minister: 功和于時 at the south portal and 徳垂後裔 at the north. Both are now kept at Nagahama Railway Square in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture.
What to Look for at the Yamanaka Tunnel
The portals are brick, and according to the Agency the arch is five bricks thick. Count the rings at the edge of the portal arch and you can see how the lining was thickened to carry a bore more than a kilometre long. Inside, English bond walls rise into a stretcher bond vault, and the same pattern runs on for 1,170 m.
Because the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel is dead straight, the exit shows from the entrance as a tiny point of light that grows slowly as you walk. Tsuruga City notes that lighting fittings and power outlets also survive inside. Each year a walking event brings crowds through this long, straight tunnel to imagine the days of steam.
Beyond the north portal, on the Imajō side, a switchback passing point called the Yamanaka signal station was added in 1919. The tunnel carries the line through the ridge close to the top of the climb.
Visiting the Yamanaka Tunnel
The Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel is part of the road along the old line and can be passed through by car or on foot. There is no fee and no reception point. It is a single lane 3.7 m wide and dark for well over a kilometre, so drivers should use headlights and walkers must bring a torch. Walking through takes close to 20 minutes each way.
Inside, watch for approaching vehicles and do not stop for long. The roughly 90 m open stretch between the south portal and the Iradani Tunnel is a good place to study the brick portal head-on. When taking photographs, remember that you are on a road and choose a spot that keeps clear of traffic.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel
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Q&A
- Where is the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel?
- It runs from Motohida in Tsuruga City into Yamanaka in Minami Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture. The south portal is about 90 m northeast of the Iradani Tunnel, and the Yamanaka Rock Shed is about 1 km beyond the north portal.
- How long is the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel?
- It is a straight bore 1,170 m long and 3.7 m wide, the longest tunnel on the old Tsuruga to Imajo section.
- When and by whom was the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel built?
- It was completed in 1896. Tsuruga City names the builder as Sato-gumi, who took three years against hard rock and seeping water. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 February 2016.
- Where are the plaques from the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel?
- The plaques written by Kuroda Kiyotaka for the south and north portals are kept at Nagahama Railway Square in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture.
- Can you walk through the Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel, and is there a fee?
- Yes. It is part of the road along the old line and is open to cars and pedestrians, with no fee or reception. It takes close to 20 minutes on foot through a dark single lane, so bring a torch and watch for traffic.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel |
|---|---|
| Location | Motohida, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2016 (Heisei 28), registered |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Length 1,170 m, width 3.7 m |
| Owner | Fukui Prefecture |
| Public Access | Open to traffic as part of a road; no fee or reception |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010961
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hokuriku Line Yamanaka Tunnel
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/245211
- Japan Heritage Portal: component property Yamanaka Tunnel
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4972/
- 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: Yamanaka Tunnel
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/region/infratourism/assets/pdf/meiji/kinki067.pdf
- Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Selected Civil Engineering Heritage: Former Hokuriku Main Line Tunnels
- https://committees.jsce.or.jp/heritage/node/834
- Tsuruga City: List of national and prefectural cultural properties
- https://www.city.tsuruga.lg.jp/page/4435.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07
