Usa Hachiman Railway Station 宇佐八幡駅

Official explanation

When the Usa Hachiman Railway Station was opened in 1916, it became the final stop on an 8.8-kilometer line that connected Usa Jingu Shrine with the nearby city of Bungotakada. Both the railway line and the station played an important part in the transportation network of Usa, serving residents, shrine parishioners, and tourists bound for Usa Jingu. During the shrine’s Great Showa Reconstruction (1932–1941), the Usa Hachiman Station was rebuilt in a style that evoked the traditional shrine architecture of Usa Jingu. As seen in photos from the period, the station building was reminiscent of a shrine hall flanked by large stone lanterns. After the railway line closed in 1965, the Usa Hachiman Station was demolished, and the site was later transformed into a parking area to accommodate visitors coming to Usa Jingu by car.

The Steam Locomotive Krauss No. 26 has been preserved as a reminder of the railway line’s history and can be seen beside the main approach to Usa Jingu near Nakamise Shopping Street. The vehicle was originally purchased in 1894 from a German company and was moved to the line serving the Usa Hachiman Station in 1948. By 1965, it was the line’s oldest running train and the only remaining steam locomotive. Of the 20 locomotives of this class imported by Kyushu Railway at the time, only four are left nationwide, and Krauss No. 26 is the only one still in Kyushu. The locomotive was donated to the government of Usa, undergoing repairs and restorations in 2000 and 2019, and is designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Oita Prefecture.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.