HYOGO, Jan 07 (News On Japan) –
The Hankyu Takarazuka Line is notable for having an unusually giant variety of stations named after shrines and temples, a function that displays a particular strategy to railway-led city improvement in Japan.
Kiyoshikojin Seicho-ji Temple in Takarazuka has a historical past spanning greater than 1,100 years and has lengthy attracted worshippers as a temple devoted to the kitchen deity, believed to deliver prosperity to households. Its identify can also be used for Kiyoshikojin Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line. Along the road’s 19 stations, 4 are named after shrines or temples, a proportion that’s excessive by nationwide requirements.
Behind this lies the imaginative and prescient of Hankyu’s founder, Kobayashi Ichizo, who handled shrines and temples as focal factors for group constructing when growing areas alongside the railway. At the time, temples weren’t solely locations of worship but in addition facilities of tradition and leisure, making them highly effective sights for drawing folks to newly developed neighborhoods.
At Sone Station, for instance, Toko-in, also referred to as Hagi-no-dera, was relocated to function a non secular anchor for the encircling space. More than a spiritual establishment, temples in these days functioned as native administrative facilities, offering support to the needy and providing primary training to kids who couldn’t learn or write. Centering city improvement round such establishments made it simpler to kind secure communities and enhance railway utilization.
According to railway journalist Ihara, whereas different personal railways reminiscent of Nankai or Keihan are sometimes related to well-known pilgrimage locations, the precise variety of shrine- or temple-named stations on these strains is comparatively small. In distinction, having 4 such stations out of 19 locations the Takarazuka Line among the many highest by way of proportion nationwide.
The cause, Ihara explains, turns into clear when how the road was laid out. Rather than relocating spiritual establishments to go well with the railway, Hankyu routed the tracks to move near long-established shrines and temples, constructing stations close by and adopting their names. As a end result, the Takarazuka Line options extra curves than the straighter Kobe Line, reflecting how the tracks have been “woven” round current sacred websites.
This shut relationship between railways and non secular establishments was not distinctive to Hankyu. Other operators additionally relied on temples and shrines as sources of patronage and monetary stability, underscoring how deeply intertwined rail transport and faith-based websites have been in early personal railway growth.
Source: Television OSAKA NEWS