The Gateway to Ashio Town
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform (わたらせ渓谷鐵道通洞駅本屋及びプラットホーム) is a single-storey timber station building and stone platform of Tsudo Station opened in 1912 and altered in 1936 at 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, a building area of 159 square metres and stone steps, and a stone platform 103 metres long, registration number 09-0185.
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, Tsudo Station opened with the Sori to Ashio section in December 1912. The Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform lies about 80 metres south-west of the Shibukawa Bridge (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a mainly mortar-rendered exterior with distinctive half-timber-style decoration in the gables.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes an office 10 by 6.8 metres and a waiting room 6.8 by 7.3 metres arranged in a T, with a 103-metre platform along the west side.
Watarase Keikoku Railway's pamphlet says the station was built as the gateway to Tsudo, the centre of Ashio, and grew in importance after the mine's offices were concentrated there in 1921. Rebuilt in 1936, it is marked by half-timbering exposed high on the front, back and side.
Visiting
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform serves the Ashio Copper Mine tourist site and the Ashio History Museum and is busy in the holiday seasons (Watarase Keikoku Railway); it can be seen when using the station. 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 5400-7 Matsubara, 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 Tsudo Station Building and Platform
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- It opened in 1912 and was altered in 1936 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it built?
- A single-storey timber building with a tiled roof, a building area of 159 square metres and stone steps, and a stone platform 103 metres long (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is nearby?
- It is the station for the Ashio Copper Mine tourist site and the Ashio History Museum (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- Where can it be seen?
- The Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform serves the Ashio Copper Mine tourist site and the Ashio History Museum and is busy in the holiday seasons (Watarase Keikoku Railway); it can be seen when using the station.
- When was the Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform registered?
- On November 2, 2009.
Basic Information
| Name | Watarase Keikoku Railway Tsudo Station Building and Platform (わたらせ渓谷鐵道通洞駅本屋及びプラットホーム) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5400-7 Matsubara, 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 159 square metres, with stone steps; platform: stone, length 103 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 Tsudo Station Building and Platform (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007846
- 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
