The is a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

line operated by

Kurama-dera is a temple in the far north of Kyoto, Japan which houses some National Treasures of Japan. It was a member of the Tendai sect and subordinate to Shōren-in from the 12th century until 1949 when it founded its own religious body. The object of ...

, a famous

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple in

Mount Kurama is a mountain to the north of the city of Kyoto. It is the birthplace of the Reiki practice, and is said to be the home of Sōjōbō, King of the Tengu (Goblins). Kurama is also the location of the annual , which takes place every October. i ...

, Sakyō,

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

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 line is officially called .

Basic data

*Distance: *Vertical interval: *

Gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

: *Stations: 2 *Track:

Single track Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Overview

The funicular line serves for the visitors to Kurama-dera temple built in 770. As the temple resides in the heart of the Mount Kurama, it takes roughly 30 minutes on foot from the while the funicular line links the same route in just 2 minutes. The temple, however, recommends its visitors not to use the funicular, but to walk on foot if possible to feel stronger impressions. As a legally recognized Japanese

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 ...

line, this is the only one operated by a , as well as the only one that is nominally free of charge. This is also the shortest line in the country, if considered as a railway. The line has only single car, counterbalanced by a weight. The line opened on January 1, 1957, as an ordinary iron-wheeled funicular with two cars,

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

, later changed in 1996 as the current

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...

d system with gauge. The car in use as at March 2006 was nicknamed ''Ushiwaka-gō III'', after

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo conso ...

(called Ushiwakamaru in his childhood), who was put and got training in the temple. By May 2018 the car in use was "Ushiwaka IV". As of March 2015, the fare to ride was 200 yen.

Stations

*Sanmon Station (山門): Transfer to Kurama,

Eizan Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway company whose two lines run entirely in Sakyō-ku in the city of Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the i ...

Kurama Line (5 minutes walk). *Tahōtō Station (多宝塔)

Basic data

Overview

Stations

See also