History
Akamizu opened on 25 January 1918 as an intermediate stop when Japanese Government Railways' Miyaji Light Rail Line was extended east from Kumamoto. The route became part of the through Hōhi Main Line on 2 December 1928. Freight handling ended on 1 October 1962, and parcel handling on 30 November 1983, when the station became unstaffed. JR Kyushu inherited the station with the 1 April 1987 privatisation. The wooden station building, with its distinctive red-tile roof, was badly damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and was demolished in November 2016. The section through Akamizu reopened on 8 August 2020, and limited-express stops at the station ceased on 15 March 2025.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-22.
Notes
In both 1958 and 1966, Akamizu was the origin point of imperial special trains carrying Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun on tours of Kyushu — the 1958 train ran from here to Kokura, the 1966 train from here to Misumi.