Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Kumamoto

Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge

Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge: A 1924 Span on a British I-Beam

The shortest registered bridge on the line, a 3.4-metre span of 1924 in Nishiki on an 8-foot I-beam to design No. 875, rolled by the Lanarkshire Steel Company.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Kumamoto

The Shortest Bridge, Built with British Steel

The Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge (くま川鉄道内門橋梁, Uchikado Kyōryō) is a small steel railway bridge in Nishi, Nishiki Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, completed in 1924 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014. At 3.4 metres it is the shortest of the line's registered bridges, about 1.7 kilometres east of the Second Kobashiragawa Bridge.

It is a single-track, single-span steel girder on concrete abutments, flanked by wing walls of dry-laid stone. It crosses not a river but a small watercourse beneath the line.

An I-Beam from Lanarkshire

The girder of the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge is an 8-foot I-beam to circular No. 875. Unlike the built-up plate girders used on longer spans, it is a single rolled section of steel used as it came from the mill, the standard answer of the day for short openings.

What makes it notable is where the steel came from. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the I-beam was rolled by the Lanarkshire Steel Company in Britain. In the Taisho era Japan still imported much of its steel. The Gakeshita Bridge further along the line uses 6-foot I-beams from the government-run steelworks, so together the two tiny bridges capture a moment in the shift from imported to domestic steel.

The bridge was registered as difficult to reproduce. A span of 3.4 metres earned its place because it packs both a standard design and a traceable steel supply into one small structure.

What to Look For

From the side, the girder has none of the stiffeners and rivet lines of a built-up girder: just the plain face of a rolled I-section. Compare it with the plate girders of the Daiogawa or Kobashiragawa bridges and you see two fundamentally different ways of making a steel beam.

Beside the concrete abutments, the dry-stone wing walls are fitted without mortar. Their irregular faces stand out most clearly after rain.

Visiting

The Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge is in daily service, and the track is off limits. View it from nearby roads and channels, free of charge. It lies roughly between Higo-Nishinomura and Ichibu stations; adult fares from Hitoyoshi Onsen are 250 yen and 340 yen respectively.

A 3.4-metre bridge is practically invisible from the train, so come on foot if you want to see how it is made. Stay out of fields and private land.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Kumamoto: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge; [ Kumamoto Castle & Mt. Aso Volcano Tours ]

Q&A

QWhere is the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge?: AIn Nishi, Nishiki Town, roughly between Higo-Nishinomura and Ichibu stations, about 1.7 kilometres east of the Second Kobashiragawa Bridge.

QHow big is the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge?: AIt is a single-track steel girder bridge 3.4 metres long, the shortest of the Kumagawa Railway's registered bridges.

QWhere did the steel for the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge come from?: AThe girder is an 8-foot I-beam to circular No. 875, rolled by the Lanarkshire Steel Company in Britain.

QCan I see the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge from the train?: AHardly. It is too short to notice from the window. Visit on foot and view it from nearby roads; the track is off limits.

QCan I take photographs of the Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge?: ANo specific restriction on photography from public roads and other permitted places has been announced. Do not enter the track, fields or private land. Commercial filming and press coverage go through the Kumagawa Railway's filming and coverage request page.

Basic Information

Name	Kumagawa Railway Uchikado Bridge (くま川鉄道内門橋梁)
Location	Daio, Nishi, Nishiki Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, and adjoining plots
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration No. 43-0137
Year Designated	Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26)
Quantity	1 structure
Dimensions	Steel single-span girder bridge, 3.4 metres long, with abutments and wing walls
Owner	Kumagawa Railway Co., Ltd.
Public Access	In railway service; no access to the track, exterior visible from nearby roads