A Drainage Well That Also Waters Rice Fields
The Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well (栃ヶ原地すべり第二号集水井) is a reinforced-concrete well for draining a landslide of 1965 in Tochigahara, Takayanagi-cho, Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a reinforced-concrete structure with an area of 13 square metres; registration number 15-0507.
It lies 300 metres north-north-west of the No. 1 well (Agency for Cultural Affairs), and according to a Niigata Prefecture leaflet it was completed in March 1965.
Landslide Control and Irrigation in One Well
The Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well is a reinforced-concrete shaft 4.0 metres across and 15 metres deep (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Bores drilled from inside the shaft gather the groundwater that drives the landslide.
What sets it apart is where the water goes. It is pumped up and fed to the surrounding paddies, and Niigata Prefecture notes that it is still used on the rice fields.
Tochigahara was declared a landslide prevention area in 1959, and the No. 2 and No. 3 wells followed in 1965 (Niigata Prefecture), ten years after the first.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, describing a post-war civil engineering work that serves both land conservation and farm irrigation and so supports local life.
Niigata Prefecture adds that all three Tochigahara wells had passed the 50-year mark when they were registered.
What to Look For
The point to notice is that a well built against landslides doubles as a water source for farming; look at how the shaft sits among the paddies it supplies.
It has the same 4.0-metre diameter as the No. 1 well but is 3 metres shallower, at 15 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well is a working landslide prevention facility owned by Niigata Prefecture, and its pump is still in use. No official information on interior visits or photography was found.
Q&A
- When was the Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well built?
- It was completed in March 1965 (Niigata Prefecture).
- Where is the Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well?
- In Tochigahara, Takayanagi-cho, Kashiwazaki City, 300 metres north-north-west of the No. 1 well (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the water from the Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well used for?
- It is pumped up and used on the surrounding rice paddies (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Niigata Prefecture).
- How big is the Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well?
- It is a reinforced-concrete shaft 4.0 metres across and 15 metres deep (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well registered?
- On December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well (栃ヶ原地すべり第二号集水井) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1759-2 Kobayashi, Tochigahara, Takayanagi-cho, Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/12/05 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 well |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 13 m², outer diameter 4.0 m, depth 15 m |
| Owner | Niigata Prefecture |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no information on interior access) |
References
- Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013066
- Tochigahara Landslide No. 2 Collection Well (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/413975
- Tochigahara Landslide Collection Wells, Registered Tangible Cultural Property and Civil Engineering Heritage (Niigata Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/sec/kashiwazaki_seibi/tochigaharayukei.html
- Tochigahara Landslide Collection Wells, leaflet (Niigata Prefecture, March 2020, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/228546.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.05
