The Kiga Station Building
The Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building (天竜浜名湖鉄道気賀駅本屋) is a wooden station building of 1938 on the Tenryu Hamanako Railway at Kiga Station in Hamana 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 183 square metres, roofed in tile and partly in sheet iron, altered in 1970 and 1987; registration number 22-0149.
A Gentle Station under Red Tiles
The building lies about 2.9 kilometres east of Nishi-Kiga Station and faces north (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a hipped tiled roof with lower wings at east and west and a sheet-iron lean-to at the back; the walls are rendered with a tiled base.
According to the railway, the roof is of red Western-style tiles, and tiles also frame the entrance and the ticket gate. The original built-in wooden benches and wooden ticket gate survive in the waiting room under a chequered plywood ceiling, and the office displays a board recording the station's opening on April 1, 1938.
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 the gentle appearance created with its low-pitched roof.
What to Look For
Look for the red-tiled hipped roof, the tiles framing the entrance and gate, and the chequered ceiling and built-in benches of the waiting room (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tenryu Hamanako Railway).
Visiting
Kiga is a working station, so the building and platform can be seen when you travel by train. Kiga Station is unstaffed (Tenryu Hamanako Railway). The Kiga checkpoint and Chorakuji Temple are 5 to 10 minutes away by rental bicycle (Tenryu Hamanako Railway). Tickets, fares and the turntable tour are covered on the Tenryu Hamanako Railway page. Do not enter the tracks or railway land.
The Kita Ward of Hamamatsu named in the Agency's record became part of Hamana Ward when the city reorganised its wards on January 1, 2024; town names and lot numbers did not change (Hamamatsu City).
Q&A
- When was the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building built?
- In 1938, with alterations in 1970 and 1987 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building?
- At Kiga Station in Hosoe-cho, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu.
- What should I look for?
- The red-tiled roof, the tile framing and the chequered ceiling.
- Can I visit the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building?
- Yes; it is a working, unstaffed station.
- When was the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building registered?
- On January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building (天竜浜名湖鉄道気賀駅本屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 427-1 Kiga, Hosoe-cho, Kita 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, tile and part sheet-iron roof, 183 m² |
| Owner | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | In use as a station (unstaffed) |
References
- Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008465
- Cultural Properties along the Line (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tenhama.co.jp/spot/bunkazai/
- Kiga Station (Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tenhama.co.jp/about/station/kiga/
- Ward Reorganisation (Hamamatsu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/kikaku/kuseido/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.14