The Depot Office
The Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office (天竜浜名湖鉄道運転区事務室) is a wooden office building of 1940 on the Tenryu Hamanako Railway in the yard of Tenryu-Futamata Station in Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 11, 1998 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building of 388 square metres with a tiled roof; registration number 22-0035.
The Office of the Old Futamata Engine Depot
The depot office was built for the Futamata engine depot of the national railways' Futamata Line, completed in 1940 as a bypass for the Tokaido Main Line (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It stands where it overlooks the yard, with the dispatcher's room and other rooms on the ground floor and a meeting room upstairs.
Its tall front with large windows is the distinctive feature (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The railway describes it as mostly single-storey with a partial upper floor, clad in vertical cedar boards with wooden latticed windows.
Why It Was Registered
It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was the nerve centre of the depot and keeps its yard-facing position and large-windowed front.
What to Look For
Look for the tall front with its large windows facing the yard and the vertical cedar boarding (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tenryu Hamanako Railway). Night turntable tours have opened the upstairs meeting room, normally closed, for a view down onto the turntable (Tenryu Hamanako Railway).
Visiting
It stands in the yard of Tenryu-Futamata Station and is normally closed to the public. The railway runs daytime turntable tours; a 2021 Hamamatsu City article describes a daily guided tour of about 40 minutes that takes visitors past the turntable, the roundhouse and the depot buildings. Tickets, fares and the turntable tour are covered on the Tenryu Hamanako Railway page. Do not enter the tracks or railway land.
Q&A
- When was the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office built?
- In 1940 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office?
- In the Tenryu-Futamata Station yard in Akura, Futamata-cho.
- What should I look for?
- The tall front lined with large windows.
- Can I visit the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office?
- Not normally, but it is shown on the turntable tours at Tenryu-Futamata Station (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Hamamatsu City).
- When was the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office registered?
- On December 11, 1998 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office (天竜浜名湖鉄道運転区事務室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 230-2 Akura, Futamata-cho, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/12/11 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 388 m² |
| Owner | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | In the Tenryu-Futamata Station yard (shown on guided tours) |
References
- Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Office (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000966
- Cultural Properties along the Line (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tenhama.co.jp/spot/bunkazai/
- Tenryu-Futamata Station (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tenhama.co.jp/about/station/tenryufutamata/
- Turntable tour at Tenryu-Futamata Station (Hamamatsu City Tenryu Ward, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/tn-shinko/dekigoto/r0730_dekigoto.html
- Night turntable tour (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tenhama.co.jp/events/29609/
Last verified: 2026.10.14
