Two maker's plates, two generations of steel
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge is a railway bridge of 1912 at Mizunuma in Kurohonecho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009. It stands southwest of Mizunuma Station where the Torizawa and the Fudosawa meet, a single track steel bridge of two spans and 16 metres.
The pairing of girders is unusual. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one span as a plate girder to the Tatsu No. 1084 standard and the other as an I-beam of the Tatsu No. 875 type rolled from steel supplied by Dorman Long of England. Kiryu City reports two maker's plates still in place: one showing manufacture in 1911 by Kisha Seizo of Osaka, the other recording an order from the Railway Ministry, fabrication by Ishikawajima Shipyard in Tokyo in 1933 and completion in 1934. The national record also notes repair work in 1937.
Below, two abutments and a pier are built of split stone, with parts of them laid in a coursed bond resembling French bond.
Imported iron, local stone, left as they were
What the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge preserves is the mixed sourcing of early twentieth century railway building in Japan. English steel carries a Japanese standard number, a girder made in Osaka was set over a gorge in Gunma, and two decades later another made in Tokyo joined it. The plates record each step in turn.
The line's structures were listed together on 2 November 2009, with public notice on the 19th of that month, 38 of them from Kiryu to Mato. It was the first Japanese line to be registered in full across two prefectures, under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the country, and the group was recognised as a Civil Engineering Heritage in 2016. A route laid to carry copper ore has outlived the mine by half a century, which is why the ironwork is still here.
One of the few you can stand near
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge can be approached, which is rare on this line. The operator's leaflet singles it out as one of the few bridges that can be seen at close quarters, and Kiryu City directs visitors to the entrance of Kurohone Park on the right bank of the Watarase River, south of Mizunuma Station. From there the rivets in the girders and the joints in the split stone abutments are all within reading distance.
By train the bridge appears about fifteen seconds out of Mizunuma towards Kiryu, or about four and a half minutes from Motojuku. Cherry trees in the nearby sports park flower in spring, and in summer the stream runs close under the deck. The Mizunumazawa Bridge lies roughly 600 metres east and the Edogawa Bridge some 520 metres south, both listed on the same day.
Visiting
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge is in service, so the deck and the track area are closed. Viewing from public roads, on the other hand, is easier here than at most points on the line: get off at Mizunuma and walk south along the right bank. Mizunuma Station has a hot spring attached, which makes the wait between trains an easy one to fill.
Torokko trains also stop at Mizunuma, and they require a seat coupon in addition to the ordinary fare, 700 yen for adults and 350 yen for children from 1 September 2026. A one day free pass is 1,880 yen for adults and 940 yen for children. There is no restriction on photography from public ground, but drone filming of trains and of the track area is prohibited. Ticket details are published by the operator; fares here were checked on 13 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge be seen up close?
- Yes. Kiryu City points to the entrance of Kurohone Park on the right bank south of Mizunuma Station. It is one of the few bridges on the line approachable on foot.
- What do the maker's plates on the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge say?
- One records manufacture by Kisha Seizo of Osaka in 1911; the other an order from the Railway Ministry, built by Ishikawajima in Tokyo in 1933 and completed in 1934.
- How long is the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge?
- 16 metres, in two steel spans: a Tatsu No. 1084 plate girder and a Tatsu No. 875 I-beam rolled from Dorman Long steel.
- Where along the line is the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge?
- Just southwest of Mizunuma Station, about fifteen seconds out towards Kiryu, or four and a half minutes from Motojuku heading north.
- When is the best season to visit the Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge?
- Spring for the cherry blossom in the nearby sports park, summer for the water below, and winter when bare branches expose the structure.
Basic Information
| Name | Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge |
|---|---|
| Location | Mizunuma, Kurohonecho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Length 16 metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database; the line is operated by Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Deck closed to entry; seen from public roads and from trains |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Watarase Keikoku Railway Fudosawa Bridge
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007865
- Kiryu City: nationally registered properties, Watarase Keikoku Railway
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1009117.html
- Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd.: cultural property leaflet
- https://www.watetsu.com/assets/pdf/sightseeing/culture_yukei_des02.pdf
- Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd.: one day free pass
- https://www.watetsu.com/rail-info/ticket_1dayfree.php
Last verified: 2026.09.13