The Kiga Station Platform and Shelter
The Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter (天竜浜名湖鉄道気賀駅上屋及びプラットホーム) is a platform with a timber shelter 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 shelter of 229 square metres with a slate roof, on a concrete platform 63 metres long, altered in 1959; registration number 22-0150.
A Long Timber Shelter
The platform lies south of the ticket gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On its 63 metres of concrete stands a timber shelter 36 metres long and 3.6 metres deep, with a gabled slate roof and an exposed truss frame.
According to the railway, the second bay from the east end has closer-set posts that bear marks of window sills and lintels, showing that the two eastern bays were once an enclosed platform waiting room; the walls have since been removed.
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 the long timber shelter recalls the busy days of a country railway.
What to Look For
Look for the 36-metre timber shelter with its exposed truss and the marks of the former waiting room on the posts at the east end (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 Platform and Shelter built?
- In 1938, altered in 1959 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter?
- South of the ticket gate at Kiga Station, Hosoe-cho, Hamana Ward.
- What should I look for?
- The 36-metre timber shelter and the traces of an old waiting room.
- Can I visit the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter?
- Yes; it is a working, unstaffed station.
- When was the Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter registered?
- On January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter (天竜浜名湖鉄道気賀駅上屋及びプラットホーム) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Shelter: single-storey timber, slate roof, 229 m²; platform: concrete, 63 m |
| Owner | Tenryu Hamanako Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | In use as a station (unstaffed) |
References
- Tenryu Hamanako Railway Kiga Station Platform and Shelter (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008466
- 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
