Former JNR Shihoro Line Sixth Otofuke River Bridge

A Filled-Spandrel Arch in the Gorge

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Sixth Otofuke River Bridge (旧国鉄士幌線第六音更川橋梁) is a concrete arch bridge of 1938 in Kamishihoro, Kato District, Hokkaido, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 31, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a concrete arch bridge 96 metres long; registration number 01-0051.

Seven Filled-Spandrel Arches

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Sixth Otofuke River Bridge is a seven-span concrete arch bridge, 96 metres long, built on the Shihoro Line north of Obihiro (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

A 23-metre segmental arch crosses the Otofuke River, and six 10-metre arches follow on the north side. The spandrels above the arches are filled solid, a continuous filled-spandrel design (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that the filled-spandrel design was chosen to sit in harmony with the gorge scenery of Daisetsuzan National Park, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Kamishihoro Town records that it acquired this bridge in February 2002, the year before it was registered.

What to Look For

Look for the 23-metre segmental arch over the river and the row of 10-metre arches that follows it. With the spandrels filled solid, the bridge reads as a heavy, settled wall across the valley.

Kamishihoro Town records that part of the bridge collapsed in July 2019.

Visiting

Hokkaido Fan Magazine places it a short way east of the highway, just before the Horoka hot spring. Part of it collapsed in 2019, and no official information on current access was found. Keep away from the deck and the collapsed section.