Akechi (Gifu)

History

Akechi Station opened on 24 June 1934 as a general station — written 明知駅 — at the end of the new Japan National Railways Akechi Line extension from Iwamura, in the town of Akechi (now part of Ena, Gifu Prefecture). Freight handling ended on 1 February 1981 and parcel handling on 1 February 1984. On 16 November 1985 the line was transferred to the third-sector Akechi Railway and the station's name was rewritten with its present kanji as 明智駅. Manual semaphore signals were withdrawn on 25 March 2004 when block-working was modernised. The station has a single side platform alongside the station building plus a depot with extensive sidings and overnight stabling, and remains staffed throughout the day.

History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.

Notes

When the operator switched to third-sector status in 1985, the station name was rewritten from 明知 to 明智 to match the merged town's name, but the railway company and its line still use the older 明知 spelling, leaving the station's kanji distinct from the very company that operates it.