The Depot Pump House
The Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Pump House (天竜浜名湖鉄道運転区揚水機室) is a wooden pump house 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 January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building of 20 square metres with a tiled roof, together with its well; registration number 22-0165.
A Pump House with Its Well
The pump house stands at the south edge of the centre of the depot east of Tenryu-Futamata Station (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a simple building 3.6 by 5.5 metres with a tiled gabled roof and vertical board walls, a door on the north and large windows on the south and west.
Beside it is a concrete well 3.6 metres across (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the railway, part of the pump survives inside; Kanasashi Station also has an elevated water tank, but only the Tenryu-Futamata depot keeps the reinforced concrete well as well.
Why It Was Registered
It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes that, with the elevated tank, it tells part of the story of railway facilities in the early Showa era.
What to Look For
Look for the small timber pump house, the round concrete well beside it and its link to the elevated tank to the east (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
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 Pump House built?
- In 1940 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Pump House?
- In the Tenryu-Futamata Station yard, at the south edge of the depot.
- What should I look for?
- The concrete well beside it and the remains of the pump inside.
- Can I visit the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Pump House?
- 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 Pump House registered?
- On January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Pump House (天竜浜名湖鉄道運転区揚水機室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 230-2 Akura, Futamata-cho, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 20 m², with well |
| Owner | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | In the Tenryu-Futamata Station yard (shown on guided tours) |
References
- Tenryu Hamanako Railway Depot Pump House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008481
- 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
Last verified: 2026.10.14
