Where the Ashio Mine Began
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge (わたらせ渓谷鐵道渋川橋梁) is a steel single-span girder bridge built in 1912 at Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a steel single-span girder bridge 14 metres long, with abutments, registration number 09-0184.
The Ashio Copper Railway
According to Watarase Keikoku Railway, the Ashio copper mine, bought by Furukawa Ichibei in 1877, grew to produce half of Japan's copper, more than horses and a horse tramway could carry, so a railway was built from Kiryu to Ashio. The Ashio Railway opened to Omama in 1911, reached Ashio in December 1912 and was completed to Ashio Honzan in 1914. Nationalised in 1918 as the Ashio Line, it has been run by Watarase Keikoku Railway since 1989.
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge crosses the Shibukawa stream about 820 metres south-west of Ashio Station (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records mid-Meiji details such as J-shaped stiffener ends, and finely laid granite abutments in a near-English bond.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a single-track bridge with a 40-foot deck plate girder.
Watarase Keikoku Railway says the discovery and development of the Ashio mine are said to have begun upstream of the Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge, which has watched the town rise and fall with the mine since the Taisho era.
Visiting
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge comes into view as soon as a Mato-bound train leaves Tsudo Station, or about a minute and a half after Ashio Station on a Kiryu-bound train (Watarase Keikoku Railway). Watarase Keikoku Railway notes that all of its registered structures can be seen from the train.
Do not enter the tracks; view it from the train, the station or nearby roads. It is located at Akazawa and Matsubara, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. Of the line's 38 registered structures, the 26 in Gunma and 11 in Tochigi are gathered on the group pages Watarase Keikoku Railway (Gunma Section) and Watarase Keikoku Railway (Tochigi Section).
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1912 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it built?
- A steel single-span girder bridge 14 metres long, with abutments (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it linked to the Ashio mine?
- The mine's discovery and development are said to have begun upstream of the bridge (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- Where can it be seen?
- The Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge comes into view as soon as a Mato-bound train leaves Tsudo Station, or about a minute and a half after Ashio Station on a Kiryu-bound train (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- When was the Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge registered?
- On November 2, 2009.
Basic Information
| Name | Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge (わたらせ渓谷鐵道渋川橋梁) |
|---|---|
| Location | Akazawa and Matsubara, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/11/02 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Steel single-span girder bridge, length 14 metres, with abutments |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database (line operated by Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd.) |
| Public Access | Visible from the train |
References
- Watarase Keikoku Railway Shibukawa Bridge (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007845
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/sightseeing/culture.php
- Pamphlet: Railway Heritage from the Train Window, map notes (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/assets/pdf/sightseeing/culture_yukei_des06.pdf
- History (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/company/history.php
Last verified: 2026.10.12
