A Brick Substation from the Dawn of Local Power
The Former Machiya Substation (旧町屋変電所, Kyū Machiya hendensho) is a brick electrical substation built around 1909 in Nishigodo-shimocho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 23, 1999. Hitachiota City owns it.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a single-storey brick building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 191 square metres; its registration number is 08-0014. According to the Agency, it was the substation of the Machiya Power Station, which began supplying electricity to the former town of Ota and other areas in January 1911.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Machiya Substation was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a rare survivor of the earliest power facilities in Ibaraki.
According to the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Machiya flourished as a post town in the Edo period. With the Machiya Power Station (since demolished, though its remains can still be traced), electric lights came on here and in Ota for the first time in November 1911, and local people proudly said that anyone who wanted to see electricity should come to Machiya. The substation became a symbol of the town.
It served as a substation until around 1955 and has since been used as a community hall; a local preservation society looks after the surroundings (Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education).
What to Look For
The Agency describes a tall gabled brick block with a lower hip-roofed block joined to its north side; parts of the west and north walls of the hip-roofed block are also of brick. Compare the two roofs of different heights from outside.
Ibaraki Prefecture notes that the insulators appear to be French-made, a small detail that recalls the beginnings of electric power in the Meiji era.
Visiting the Former Machiya Substation
The Former Machiya Substation is used as a community hall, and its exterior can be seen. No official information on interior access or photography was found. The address is 1382-1 Nishigodo-shimocho, Hitachiota City.
Q&A
- When was the Former Machiya Substation built?
- Around 1909.
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 23, 1999.
- What was the substation for?
- It served the Machiya Power Station, which supplied electricity to the former town of Ota and nearby areas from 1911.
- What does the building look like?
- A tall gabled brick block joined to a lower hip-roofed block; the insulators appear to be French-made.
- How is it used today?
- It was a substation until around 1955 and has since served as a community hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Machiya Substation (旧町屋変電所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1382-1 Nishigodo-shimocho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/8/23 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, single storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 191 square metres |
| Owner | Hitachiota City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable (used as a community hall) |
References
- Former Machiya Substation (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001241
- Former Machiya Substation (Cultural Properties of Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education)
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6504/
Last verified: 2026.10.05