Kishigawa Line

The line began as a private light railway in the Taishō era. The Santō Keiben Railway received its licence on 1 April 1913 and was incorporated on 27 June 1914. Its first section, between Ōhashi and Yamato (later renamed Itakiso), opened on 15 February 1916, and was extended from Nakanoshima to Ōhashi on 16 March 1917. After the opening of the Kisei railway, the line was rerouted in 1924 to the new Higashi-Wakayama Station (the present Wakayama Station), and the company was renamed Wakayama Railway in 1931.

The route was completed in stages. The section from Itakiso to Kishi opened on 18 August 1933, at which point Yamato Station was renamed Itakiso, giving the line its full length to the village of Kishi. Electrification followed during the war years: the Higashi-Wakayama–Itakiso section was energised in December 1941, Itakiso–Ōike in December 1942, and Ōike–Kishi in December 1943, completing electrification of the whole line — at the time at 600 V DC.

The line then passed through a chain of corporate mergers. On 1 November 1957 the Wakayama Railway was absorbed by the Wakayama Electric Tramway, and on 1 November 1961 the Wakayama Electric Tramway was in turn merged into the Nankai Electric Railway, at which point the route was named the Kishigawa Line. Under Nankai the line was modernised: centralised traffic control (CTC) was commissioned on 1 April 1993, 2270-series trains entered service in February 1995, and one-person driver-only operation began on 1 April 1995 alongside more frequent service and full air-conditioning.

Declining ridership amid motorisation eventually put the line's survival in doubt. In November 2003 Nankai disclosed that it was considering abolishing the Kishigawa Line, and in 2004 it announced its withdrawal, filing a closure notice with the transport ministry. Rather than let the line close, Wakayama Prefecture, the city of Wakayama and the town of Kishigawa agreed in February 2005 to preserve it under a public-ownership, private-operation scheme, and invited operators to bid. The Okayama Electric Tramway — part of the Ryōbi Group — announced it would take over, and a new third-sector successor company, the Wakayama Electric Railway, was established on 27 June 2005 to run the line.

The Wakayama Electric Railway took over operations on 1 April 2006, and quickly leaned into a strategy of distinctive, design-led trains by the industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The strawberry-motif "Ichigo Densha" began running on 6 August 2006, the toy-themed "Omoden" (Omocha Densha) followed on 29 July 2007, and the cat-themed "Tama Densha" entered service on 21 March 2009. The line received a special commendation at the Japan Railway Awards in October 2006.

Its greatest fame, however, came from a cat. On 5 January 2007 a calico cat named Tama was appointed stationmaster of Kishi Station, complete with a miniature stationmaster's cap; she became a national and international media sensation and drew tourists to the line. When Tama died on 22 June 2015 she was honoured as a permanent honorary stationmaster, a memorial ceremony and a Tama Shrine were established, and the cat Nitama succeeded her as "Tama II" stationmaster. A new Kishi Station building had opened on 4 August 2010. On 1 February 2012 the line's overhead voltage was raised from 600 V to 1,500 V DC, and the line continues today as a celebrated example of a community-saved local railway.

• 19131 April: the Santō Keiben Railway is granted a railway licence.
• 191615 February: the first section, Ōhashi–Yamato (later Itakiso), opens, run by the Santō Keiben Railway.
• 191716 March: the line is extended from Nakanoshima to Ōhashi.
• 1924The line is rerouted to the new Higashi-Wakayama Station (present-day Wakayama Station) after the Kisei railway opens.
• 193123 April: the company is renamed the Wakayama Railway.
• 193318 August: the Itakiso–Kishi section opens, completing the line to Kishi; Yamato Station is renamed Itakiso.
• 1943December: the Ōike–Kishi section is electrified, completing electrification of the whole line at 600 V DC (Higashi-Wakayama–Itakiso 1941, Itakiso–Ōike 1942).
• 19571 November: the Wakayama Railway is merged into the Wakayama Electric Tramway.
• 19611 November: the Nankai Electric Railway absorbs the Wakayama Electric Tramway; the route is named the Kishigawa Line.
• 19931 April: centralised traffic control (CTC) is commissioned.
• 19952270-series trains enter service (February); one-person driver-only operation begins on 1 April with more frequent service and full air-conditioning.
• 2004Nankai announces its withdrawal from the line (effective end of September 2005) and files a closure notice with the transport ministry, after disclosing in November 2003 that closure was under consideration.
• 2005Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama City and Kishigawa Town agree to preserve the line under a public-ownership, private-operation scheme; the Okayama Electric Tramway (Ryōbi Group) is selected, and the third-sector Wakayama Electric Railway is established on 27 June.
• 20061 April: the Wakayama Electric Railway begins operating the line. 6 August: the strawberry-themed 'Ichigo Densha' (designed by Eiji Mitooka) enters service. October: the line receives a special commendation at the Japan Railway Awards.
• 20075 January: the calico cat Tama is appointed stationmaster of Kishi Station. 29 July: the toy-themed 'Omoden' (Omocha Densha) enters service.
• 200921 March: the cat-themed 'Tama Densha' enters service.
• 20104 August: a new Kishi Station building opens.
• 20121 February: the line's overhead voltage is raised from 600 V to 1,500 V DC.
• 201522 June: Tama dies and is honoured as a permanent honorary stationmaster; a memorial ceremony and Tama Shrine are held, and the cat Nitama succeeds her as 'Tama II' stationmaster.