An 85-Metre Platform Faced in River Cobbles
The Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform (東武鉄道大桑駅プラットホーム) is a cobble-faced earth-fill railway platform of about 1929 in Okuwa Station in Okuwamachi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a stone structure 85 metres long, altered between 1960 and 1964; registration number 09-241.
A Station of 1917, Rebuilt About 1929
The Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform was built when the Shimotsuke Electric Railway rebuilt Okuwa Station (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Tobu Railway's station guide dates the opening of the station to January 2, 1917, so the present platform is not the original but the product of that later rebuilding.
It is 85 metres long and about 4 metres across at its widest, and the whole length is built as a tamaishi-zumi earth-fill platform, an earth bank faced with rounded river cobbles (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, noting that its cobble-faced exterior forms a scene that records how the railway was laid in this district.
What to Look For
The point of the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform is that the stonework runs unbroken along all 85 metres. Look at the side facing the track, from the end of the platform or from a train window.
The name Okuwa, "great mulberry", is said to come from the mulberry trees grown here for silkworm raising; the town was also a post station at the end of the cedar avenue of the Aizu Nishi Kaido road (Tobu Railway).
Visiting
The Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform is a working station platform and is seen when using the trains; no special opening or tours were found.
Okuwa is the 2nd station on the Kinugawa Line after Shimo-Imaichi, following Daiyamuko (Tobu Railway). No official Tobu Railway guidance on photography was found; on the platform, keep clear of train operations and other passengers. Directions and the other registered structures along the line are gathered on the Tobu Railway Kinugawa Line page.
Q&A
- When was the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform built?
- About 1929, when the Shimotsuke Electric Railway rebuilt Okuwa Station; it was altered between 1960 and 1964 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How large is the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform?
- It is 85 metres long and about 4 metres across at its widest (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform?
- At Okuwa Station on the Tobu Kinugawa Line, 131 Okuwamachi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, the 2nd station after Shimo-Imaichi (Tobu Railway).
- Can I visit the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform?
- It is a working platform, seen when using the trains. No dedicated visitor information was found.
- When was the Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform registered?
- On October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform (東武鉄道大桑駅プラットホーム) |
|---|---|
| Location | 131 Okuwamachi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, length 85 m, maximum width about 4 m |
| Owner | Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Working station platform, seen when using the trains |
References
- Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011869
- Tobu Railway Okuwa Station Platform (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/286376
- Okuwa Station (Tobu Railway, Japanese)
- https://www.tobu.co.jp/railway/guide/station/info/4203.html
Last verified: 2026.11.11
