History
Kiryū Station opened on 15 November 1888 as part of the Ryōmō Line, which links the textile city of Kiryū with the trunk railway network. On 15 April 1911 the Ashio Railway — predecessor of today's Watarase Keikoku Railway — began operations from the station, establishing it as a junction. The station building was rebuilt in 1928 and again between 1983 and 1985, when it became an elevated structure with two island platforms above the concourse. Following the 1 April 1987 privatisation of Japanese National Railways, JR East took over operations, and Suica IC card service began on 18 November 2001.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
Kiryū is the easternmost JR station in Gunma Prefecture and is jointly operated by JR East and the third-sector Watarase Keikoku Railway, which terminates here.