One Station Building, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property since 2017
Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway Onsenji Station (城崎温泉ロープウェイ温泉寺駅, Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway Onsenji-eki) stands at 806-1 Teranoya, Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, a Showa-period building entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 27 October 2017. It is a registered property rather than a designated one.
The quantity is one building. The owner is the company that runs the line.
The structure is reinforced concrete, two-storeyed, with a floor area of 141 square metres. The date field reads mid Showa and the year field 1962.
Two Platforms on the Upper Floor
One floor carries two places to board and alight.
The Agency records a hall and station office on the lower floor, and on the upper floor platforms both at the centre and on the north side towards the temple.
The ropeway platform stands at the centre of the upper floor, and a second one lies to the north, facing the temple.
The foothill and summit stations on the same line each have one platform only.
Being the middle station, it receives cars going both up and down. Beyond that, it takes those coming and going to the temple.
That the station carries the temple's name follows from this: it serves the temple as well as the line.
A Frontage Called Wide, at Ten Metres
Its size is spoken of by frontage rather than by area.
The Agency records reinforced concrete construction with a frontage of ten metres, and calls that wide. The figure is written in Chinese numerals.
The floor area is 141 square metres, the smallest of the 3 stations. The foothill station covers 309 square metres and the summit station 187 square metres.
Smallest in area, then, and yet called wide across the front.
At the Kannonshoji garden gate, the size field gives a frontage of 2.2 metres rather than an area, a gate being measured by the width one passes through.
Here an area is recorded too, but what the commentary takes up is the frontage. In a building where people board side by side, width is what matters.
Columns Lengthened to Follow the Slope
Standing on a hillside, the columns are not of one length.
The Agency records that the platform is open on all sides, with columns lengthened to follow the slope and a vaulted roof above, plain in appearance.
Open on all sides means no walls, only columns. On the lower side of the slope the columns run long and on the upper side short, so that the roof stays level.
At the Manpukuji belfry, octagonal posts are set leaning inward. That inclination is for the look of the thing.
Here the lengths are adjusted to the ground.
The vaulted roof is common to the foothill and summit stations as well. One form ties the 3 together, while what holds it up differs at each.
Riding
The station stands at 806-1 Teranoya, Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, owned by the company that runs the line.
The Agency calls it the mid-point station of the ropeway, between the foothill and summit stations.
A hall and a station office are set on the lower floor. Of the 3 stations, it is here that an office is recorded.
This is a working ropeway, and the building may be entered in order to ride. From the northern platform one goes on towards the temple.
Running times and conditions follow the operator's arrangements. Check before travelling.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway Onsenji Station
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the station registered?
- On 27 October 2017, as a registered tangible cultural property. It is registered rather than designated, and the quantity is one building.
- Where are the platforms?
- On the upper floor, both at the centre and on the north side towards the temple: two of them, where the other stations have one.
- How large is it?
- A floor area of 141 square metres, the smallest of the three stations. The Agency, though, calls its frontage of ten metres wide.
- What are the columns like?
- They are lengthened to follow the slope, running long on the lower side and short on the upper so that the roof stays level.
- Why is it named after the temple?
- Because the northern platform on its upper floor is set towards the temple. The station serves those going there as well as those riding the line.
Basic Information
| Name | Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway Onsenji Station (城崎温泉ロープウェイ温泉寺駅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 806-1 Teranoya, Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered tangible cultural property (structure); registered rather than designated; 3 buildings on the same line were registered on the same day |
| Year Designated | 2017 (27 October), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 2-storeyed, with a floor area of 141 square metres. The frontage of 10 metres is called wide. A hall and station office stand on the lower floor, and on the upper floor platforms both at the centre and on the north side towards the temple. The platform is open on all sides, with columns lengthened to follow the slope and a vaulted roof above. The date field reads mid Showa and the year field 1962 |
| Owner | The company that runs the line |
| Public Access | A working ropeway station; running times follow the operator's arrangements |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: the Onsenji station
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/294880
- Cultural Heritage Online: the foothill station
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/275442
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
- Toyooka City
- https://www.city.toyooka.lg.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.13
