Ōyama Cable Line

Mount Ōyama had drawn crowds of ordinary pilgrims since the Edo period through the popular "Ōyama-kō" devotional associations, and the cable line was conceived to make the steep approach to Afuri Shrine easier. A railway licence was granted to the promoters of the Ōyama Kōsaku Railway (大山鋼索鉄道) on 22 September 1927, covering roughly one mile (about 1.6 km) within the town of Ōyama. The company itself was incorporated in September 1928, with its registered office in the Marunouchi district of Kōjimachi Ward in central Tokyo.

The funicular opened on 1 August 1931 as the Ōyama Kōsaku Railway, running 0.7 kilometres between Oiwake, Fudōson and Shimosha. From the outset the company had planned to extend the line upward from Shimosha to the summit of Mount Ōyama, where the main hall of Afuri Shrine stands, but that project never advanced; the licence for the Shimosha–summit section was cancelled on 14 September 1937 because the works were not completed within the period set by the authorities.

During the Second World War the line fell victim to wartime austerity. On 5 February 1944 it was abolished as a "non-urgent" line (fuyō-fukyū-sen) and its track was torn up and removed, with the rails diverted to the war effort. The Oiwake–Shimosha section thus disappeared, and for two decades there was no cable car on the mountain.

Reconstruction came only after the war. A new company, Ōyama Kankō, was established on 21 July 1950, and on 19 February 1951 it received a licence to lay the line over the former Oiwake–Shimosha route, approved through the Ministry of Transport's Transport Council. The firm was renamed Ōyama Kankō Dentetsu in August 1953, and on 11 July 1965 it reopened the funicular over the 0.8-kilometre Oiwake–Shimosha alignment. Japanese sources note that this 1965 revival was the very last instance of a cable car that had been suspended or scrapped as a non-urgent wartime line being brought back into service.

The reopened line settled into its role as the mountain's principal means of ascent, though not without incident. On 13 March 1977 a car made an emergency stop and twelve passengers and crew were injured. On 1 October 2008 all three stations were renamed to reflect their function for visitors: Oiwake became Ōyama-Cable, Fudōmae became Ōyamadera, and Shimosha became Afuri-Jinja.

In the 2010s the ageing equipment was overhauled. A vehicle failure on 18 January 2012 forced the whole line to close from the first train, with service resuming on 2 February. Then, after the cars "Tanzawa" and "Ōyama" that had run since the postwar reopening made their final trips on 17 May 2015, the line shut for a long renewal from 18 May to replace the rolling stock, rails, sleepers and electrical equipment; the new cars entered service on 1 October 2015. The line continues to carry pilgrims and hikers up Mount Ōyama as the sole operation of Ōyama Kankō Dentetsu.

• 192722 September: A railway licence is granted to the promoters of the Ōyama Kōsaku Railway for about one mile (1.6 km) within the town of Ōyama.
• 1928September: The Ōyama Kōsaku Railway company is established, with its office in Marunouchi, Kōjimachi Ward, Tokyo.
• 19311 August: The Ōyama Kōsaku Railway opens the 0.7 km Oiwake–Fudōson–Shimosha funicular.
• 193714 September: The licence for the planned Shimosha–summit extension is cancelled, the works not having been completed by the set deadline.
• 19445 February: The line is abolished and removed as a non-urgent wartime line; the Oiwake–Shimosha section closes.
• 195021 July: The company Ōyama Kankō is established.
• 195119 February: Ōyama Kankō is granted a licence for the Oiwake–Shimosha section (approved via the Ministry of Transport's Transport Council).
• 1953August: The company is renamed Ōyama Kankō Dentetsu.
• 196511 July: Ōyama Kankō Dentetsu reopens the 0.8 km Oiwake–Shimosha funicular — the last revival of a cable car suspended or scrapped as a non-urgent wartime line.
• 197713 March: A car makes an emergency stop; twelve passengers and crew are injured.
• 20081 October: The three stations are renamed — Oiwake to Ōyama-Cable, Fudōmae to Ōyamadera, and Shimosha to Afuri-Jinja.
• 201218 January: A vehicle failure suspends the whole line from the first train; service resumes on 2 February.
• 201517 May–1 October: The cars 'Tanzawa' and 'Ōyama' make their final trips (17 May); the line closes from 18 May for a major renewal of cars, rails, sleepers and electrical equipment; new cars enter service on 1 October.