The Station at the Heart of the Mine
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform (わたらせ渓谷鐵道足尾駅本屋及び上り線プラットホーム) is a single-storey timber station building and stone up platform of Ashio Station opened in 1912 and altered in 1938 at Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 209 square metres, and a stone platform 109 metres long, registration number 09-0179.
The Ashio Copper Railway
According to Watarase Keikoku Railway, the Ashio copper mine, bought by Furukawa Ichibei in 1877, grew to produce half of Japan's copper, more than horses and a horse tramway could carry, so a railway was built from Kiryu to Ashio. The Ashio Railway opened to Omama in 1911, reached Ashio in December 1912 and was completed to Ashio Honzan in 1914. Nationalised in 1918 as the Ashio Line, it has been run by Watarase Keikoku Railway since 1989.
According to Watarase Keikoku Railway, Ashio Station opened with the Sori to Ashio section in December 1912. The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform lies about 790 metres south of the First Matsukigawa Bridge (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as one of the largest stations on the line, at the centre of the Ashio mining works.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a timber building 20 by 6.4 metres with clapboard and exposed-timber walls, a waiting room in the east half and an office in the west half, and a 109-metre platform to the north.
Watarase Keikoku Railway's pamphlet says the station was built at the heart of the Ashio mine, near the company offices and the Furukawa Kakemizu Club. Like Omama, it originally had a hip-and-gable roof, unlike the gabled smaller stations; altered in 1938 without major external change, it remains a plain working timber station. The up platform has split-stone walls, kerbstones and gravel paving.
Visiting
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform can be seen when using Ashio Station; the Furukawa Kakemizu Club is nearby (Watarase Keikoku Railway). Watarase Keikoku Railway notes that all of its registered structures can be seen from the train.
Do not enter the tracks; view it from the train, the station or nearby roads. It is located at 2316 Kamikakemizu, Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. Of the line's 38 registered structures, the 26 in Gunma and 11 in Tochigi are gathered on the group pages Watarase Keikoku Railway (Gunma Section) and Watarase Keikoku Railway (Tochigi Section).
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- It opened in 1912 and was altered in 1938 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it built?
- A single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 209 square metres, and a stone platform 109 metres long (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the original roof like?
- Hip-and-gable like Omama, unlike the gabled smaller stations (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- Where can it be seen?
- The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform can be seen when using Ashio Station; the Furukawa Kakemizu Club is nearby (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- When was the Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform registered?
- On November 2, 2009.
Basic Information
| Name | Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform (わたらせ渓谷鐵道足尾駅本屋及び上り線プラットホーム) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2316 Kamikakemizu, Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/11/02 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building: timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 209 square metres; platform: stone, length 109 metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database (line operated by Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd.) |
| Public Access | Visible when using the station or from the train |
References
- Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Building and Up Platform (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007840
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/sightseeing/culture.php
- Pamphlet: Railway Heritage from the Train Window, map notes (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/assets/pdf/sightseeing/culture_yukei_des06.pdf
- History (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/company/history.php
Last verified: 2026.10.12
