A Small Arch on the Taisho Line
The Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge (旧大正林道柿ノ木サコ橋) is a single-span reinforced-concrete arch bridge of a forest railway, built in 1944 at Koyagauchi, Shimanto Town, Takaoka District, Kochi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 7, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a length of 7.0 metres and a width of 3.8 metres with stone walls, registration number 39-0248, owned by Shimanto Town.
Timber Trains over the Bridge
According to Shimanto Town, state forests along the Yusuhara River were logged heavily from the Meiji to the Showa era. In 1911 the Miura timber company of Susaki laid the first forest tramway in the Shimanto basin; the forestry office bought it in 1925, set up a timber yard at Tanono (now Taisho, Shimanto Town) and extended the line inland, creating the Taisho line along the Yusuhara River to Shimotsui.
According to Shimanto Town, the Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge was built for the Taisho line linking the state forest of Mt Sagawa with Tanono. Until 1966 the track ran along the right bank of the Yusuhara River, and every day locomotives hauled trucks laden with timber across the bridge. Since the line closed it has served as a town road.
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as one of the former forest railway structures along the Yusuhara River.
Shimanto Town presents the Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge as a reminder of the area's forestry heyday and as a component of the Cultural Landscape of the Shimanto River Basin (Taisho Oku-Shimanto Area).
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge crosses the lowest reach of a right-bank tributary near its confluence with the Yusuhara River, with a semicircular arch of 5.0 metres in fair-faced concrete and coursed stone walls along both banks.
Shimanto Town notes that the retaining walls at each end of the Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge use dressed stone cut at a quarry about 100 metres downstream.
Visiting
The Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge is used as a town road and can also be seen from the national road on the opposite bank of the Yusuhara River (Shimanto Town). It is at Koyagauchi, Shimanto Town. See the group page Former Taisho Forest Railway (Shimanto) for all four structures.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1944 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of bridge is it?
- A 7.0-metre reinforced-concrete bridge with a single semicircular arch of 5.0 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where did the stone come from?
- From a quarry about 100 metres downstream (Shimanto Town).
- When did the railway close?
- In 1966; the bridge has since been a town road (Shimanto Town).
- When was the Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge registered?
- On March 7, 2008.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge (旧大正林道柿ノ木サコ橋) |
|---|---|
| Location | Koyagauchi, Shimanto Town, Takaoka District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/03/07 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Reinforced-concrete single-span arch bridge, length 7.0 metres, width 3.8 metres, with stone walls |
| Owner | Shimanto Town |
| Public Access | Passable as a town road; visible from the national road opposite |
References
- Former Taisho Forest Railway Kakinoki Sako Bridge (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006949
- Cultural Landscape of the Shimanto River Basin, Taisho Oku-Shimanto Area 1 (Shimanto Town)
- https://www.town.shimanto.lg.jp/life/detail.php?hdnKey=1284
- Cultural Landscape of the Shimanto River Basin, Taisho Oku-Shimanto Area 2 (Shimanto Town)
- https://www.town.shimanto.lg.jp/life/detail.php?hdnKey=1283
Last verified: 2026.10.11
