was a company engaged in

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

operation and shipping in

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The company was established in 1889 when the state-owned and

Horonai Railway The Horonai Railway (官営幌内鉄道, ''kan'ei Horonai tetsudō'') was a Japanese government-managed railway which was among the first to be built in Hokkaidō. Established in 1869, it was sold off to the private sector twenty years later. Som ...

were sold to the company. The company developed coal mines and transported coal to consumers by its own railways and a fleet of steamships. The railway of the company was nationalized on October 1, 1906 under the

Railway Nationalization Act The brought many of Japan's private railway lines under national control. The 22nd Diet of Japan passed the bill on March 27, 1906 and Emperor Meiji signed on March 30, 1906. The promulgation of the act on the Official Gazette occurred the next d ...

. At this time the company was renamed , which continued mining until 1995 and is in business of coal importing from Russia as of 2014.

Railway

List of lines and stations

As of September 30, 1906

Muroran – Temiya

The Muroran–Iwamizawa section and the Iwamizawa–Otaru section are part of the

Muroran Main Line The is a railway line in Hokkaido operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), between Oshamambe Station in Oshamambe and Iwamizawa Station in Iwamizawa, approximately paralleling the coast of Iburi Subprefecture. There also is a branch ...

and the

Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...

respectively today. The remaining Otaru–Temiya section became the

Temiya Line The Temiya Line (手宮線, ''Temiya-sen'') was a local freight narrow gauge railroad in Otaru, Hokkaidō, Japan, connecting Minami-Otaru Station and Temiya Station. The line was a state-owned enterprise, originally established in the late 19th ...

, which was closed in 1985.

Iwamizawa – Utashinai

The Iwamizawa–Sunagawa section is the part of the

today. The remaining part became the

Utashinai Line is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is Japan's smallest city by population. History It was formerly a prosperous coal mining city, but has declined greatly since the closing of the coal mines. The population hit a ...

, which was closed in 1988.

Iwamizawa – Ikushunbetsu

This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.

Horonaibuto – Horonai

This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.

Oiwake – Yūbari

The section from Oiwake to Shin-Yubari (Momijiyama) is a part of the

Sekishō Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The main Sekishō Line connects in Chitose and Shintoku Station in the town of Shintoku. The name of the line comes from the subprefectures along the route, na ...

(Main section) today while the remainder became the Yubari Branch Line which closed in 2019.

Sunagawa – Sorachigawa

The company leased this section to Japanese Government Railways. This section is a part of the

today.

Nationalization

As the Railway Nationalization Act was promulgated, on October 1, 1906, the company's railway (207 miles 51 chains), rolling stock (1,940), steamship (1), personnel (3,673) and other goods and contracts were transferred to the government of Japan, in exchange of 30,997,100 yen worth of government bond.

References

External links

Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd.
{{Authority control Coal companies of Japan Economic history of Japan Defunct railway companies of Japan Rail transport in Hokkaido Railway companies established in 1889 Railway companies disestablished in 1906 Japanese companies established in 1889