2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
[MZZ44-03] Ruins of light railways for stone trolleys of the historical granite quarry in Inada district, Japan
Keywords:building stone, granite, Inada granite, quarry, stone trolley
Domestically quarried granite played a significant role in the urban development of Tokyo, Japan. It is important to record the history of the domestic stone industry that contributed to Japan's modernization. This report describes the quarry site of Inada Stone, one of the most widely used granite stones in the Tokyo Area, particularly focusing on the ruins of the light railway for the stone trolleys.
The stone trolleys took advantage of the gentle slope from the quarries to Inada Station, significantly increasing the transport capacity of the quarry. It is known that the light railway lines were called Nabejima Line/Takada Line, Nakano Line, Tsuchiya Line, and Ogoto Line, which were in operation from 1896 to around 1965. However, precise information have not been presented so far concerning the railway's location and age. To address this, two sources were used. One is the "Nabeshima Hikoshichiro-owned mountain map" owned by Kasama City's Ishi-no-Hyakunenkan, estimated to be from 1896 to 1914. The other source is the old edition topographic map issued by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan: the 1:25,000 "Haguro" and 1:50,000 "Mooka" maps.
The positions of the Nabejima Line/Takada Line, Nakano Line, Tsuchiya Line, and Ogoto Line were estimated. Several structures were found in the Inada area that looked like ruins of the light railway track. Some of these were corroborated by individuals concerned. Traces of the light railway crossing the Inada River and robust stone structures remaining in farmlands were observed.
The ruins will help us understand the operation of the stone quarries that contributed to the construction of many historic buildings around Tokyo area.
The stone trolleys took advantage of the gentle slope from the quarries to Inada Station, significantly increasing the transport capacity of the quarry. It is known that the light railway lines were called Nabejima Line/Takada Line, Nakano Line, Tsuchiya Line, and Ogoto Line, which were in operation from 1896 to around 1965. However, precise information have not been presented so far concerning the railway's location and age. To address this, two sources were used. One is the "Nabeshima Hikoshichiro-owned mountain map" owned by Kasama City's Ishi-no-Hyakunenkan, estimated to be from 1896 to 1914. The other source is the old edition topographic map issued by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan: the 1:25,000 "Haguro" and 1:50,000 "Mooka" maps.
The positions of the Nabejima Line/Takada Line, Nakano Line, Tsuchiya Line, and Ogoto Line were estimated. Several structures were found in the Inada area that looked like ruins of the light railway track. Some of these were corroborated by individuals concerned. Traces of the light railway crossing the Inada River and robust stone structures remaining in farmlands were observed.
The ruins will help us understand the operation of the stone quarries that contributed to the construction of many historic buildings around Tokyo area.