A Steel-Framed Warehouse and Its Trusses
Joined to the south of Workshop No.17, with Warehouse No.4 abutting on its eastern side, Warehouse No.7 was built in the mid-1930s. It is a single-story steel building with a ridge of 48.1 meters and a span of 18.2 meters, roofed in slate over a floor of 875 square meters.
The roof rides on a steel Warren truss, its members set in the zig-zag pattern that gives the type its name. That choice of truss sets No.7 apart from the buildings pressed against it.
Why It Is Registered
No.7 differs in form from both its neighbors, the reinforced-concrete Workshop No.17 and the timber-framed Warehouse No.4. Where No.4 would later imitate steel in wood, No.7 was framed in steel outright, with a Warren truss rather than the Pratt pattern used elsewhere on the grounds.
Placed side by side, these buildings trace the changing methods of a long-lived works, and it was for that role in the historic landscape that No.7 was registered in 2012.
What to Notice, and How to See It
The reward here is comparison. Stand where No.7 meets No.4 and the two trusses face off, steel Warren against bolted timber Pratt, a single junction that captures how the works built differently from one year to the next.
The works is active railway property and closed to casual visitors. It opens to the public once a year around Railway Day in October for the event known as Kisha Poppo Matsuri, when a shuttle train runs from Tadotsu Station into the grounds; group tours can sometimes be arranged in advance. Because dates shift from year to year, confirm the current schedule with JR Shikoku before setting out.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near JR Tadotsu Factory Warehouse No. 7
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Q&A
- What kind of truss does No.7 use?
- A steel Warren truss, whose diagonal members form a zig-zag pattern, distinct from the Pratt trusses seen elsewhere in the works.
- How does it relate to the buildings around it?
- It joins Workshop No.17 to the south and Warehouse No.4 to the east, and differs in form from both, showing the evolution of the works.
- When was it built and registered?
- In 1936, and it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in August 2012.
- Can it be visited?
- It sits within an active JR Shikoku works and is closed to casual visitors, though the grounds open once a year around October.
Basic Information
| Name | JR Tadotsu Works Soko No.7 (Warehouse No.7) |
|---|---|
| Location | 983-2-Kō, Ōdōri, Tadotsu, Nakatado District, Kagawa |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registered 13 August 2012 |
| Registration No. | 37-0392 |
| Count | 1 building |
| Built | 1936 (Shōwa 11) |
| Structure | Single-story steel building, slate roof, floor area 875 sq m; steel Warren truss, ridge 48.1 m, span 18.2 m |
| Owner | Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) |
| Access | Active railway works, not open to casual visitors; annual public open day around October |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009396
- 文化遺産オンライン 香川県・仲多度郡多度津町
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/region/37/37404
Last verified: 2026.07.03