What Is the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed?
The Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed (えちごトキめき鉄道二本木駅ランプ小屋) is a single-storey brick oil store built in 1910 in the grounds of Nihongi Station, Itabashi, Nakago Ward, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2019. At 9.9 square meters it is the smallest of the station's seven registered structures.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it held the fuel oil for the lamps that lit passenger carriages. Echigo Tokimeki Railway's line guide says the same and calls it the "red-brick shed". It stands south of the warehouse, facing west.
Why It Was Registered
The Nihongi Station Lamp Shed was registered on September 10, 2019, in the 93rd round of listings, as No. 15-502, under the criterion of a building that has become a model of design. At Nihongi, only the station building and this shed were listed on that criterion.
The Agency describes it as a carefully made oil store designed with fire in mind. It was built in brick precisely because it held flammable oil, and then finished with real attention to its exterior; that combination is why it was held up as a model. The line guide adds that the sturdy building keeps its 1910 appearance.
Cornice and Pediments
The Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed has a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki), with a brick cornice (Nokijabara) running round the top of the walls. Each gable end is shaped as a pediment, borrowed from Western classical architecture.
A single door sits at the centre of the front, and the side walls have windows on stone sills. Inside, the floor is beaten earth, the walls are plastered, and the roof sits on a Japanese-style timber frame (Wagoya): Western brick detailing outside, plaster and traditional carpentry within.
Another Echigo Tokimeki Railway station, Ichiburi, keeps a brick lamp shed of 1908 with exactly the same 9.9-square-meter footprint. The Nihongi shed differs in finishing its eaves with a cornice and its inner walls with plaster.
Visiting
The Nihongi Station Lamp Shed stands in the station grounds just south of the warehouse, and its exterior can be seen. In 2018 Echigo Tokimeki Railway announced that the red-brick shed, together with the switchback viewing deck, would be open from April until the snow arrived. No current details of openings were found in the sources checked, so contact the company before visiting.
The cornice and pediment read best when you look at a gable end at an angle. This is operating railway land, so keep clear of the tracks and out of the way of trains. Nihongi is about 16 minutes from Joetsu-Myoko by the Myoko Haneuma Line.
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Q&A
- What was the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed used for?
- It stored the fuel oil for the lamps that lit passenger carriages. Because the oil was flammable, the shed was built of brick.
- When was the Nihongi Station Lamp Shed built?
- In 1910, the year before the station opened.
- When did the Nihongi Station Lamp Shed become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On September 10, 2019, as No. 15-502, under the criterion of a building that has become a model of design.
- What are the highlights of the Nihongi Station Lamp Shed?
- The brick cornice under the eaves, the pediments at both gable ends and the stone window sills. Inside are plastered walls and a Japanese-style roof frame.
- Can visitors see the Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed?
- The exterior can be seen. In 2018 the railway announced openings from April until the snow; check current arrangements with the company before you go.
Basic Information
| Name | Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed (えちごトキめき鉄道二本木駅ランプ小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 543-2 Nishiura, Itabashi, Nakago Ward, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 15-502 |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey brick, tiled roof, building area 9.9 square meters |
| Owner | Echigo Tokimeki Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable (check opening periods) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012887
- Cultural Heritage Online: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Nihongi Station Lamp Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/413615
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Echigo Tokimeki Railway Ichiburi Station Lamp Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014473
- Line guide: Myoko Haneuma Line (Echigo Tokimeki Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.echigo-tokimeki.co.jp/guide/haneuma-line/
- Switchback viewing deck and red-brick shed at Nihongi Station open to visitors (Echigo Tokimeki Railway, April 3, 2018, in Japanese)
- https://www.echigo-tokimeki.co.jp/information/detail?id=596
Last verified: 2026.09.28
