Misasagi Station (御陵駅)
Misasagi Station is a railway facility located in the Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, which is jointly operated by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau and the Keihan Electric Railway.
It is operated under the jurisdiction of the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau (jointly used by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau and the Keihan Electric Railway). Its Subway Tozai Line station number is T08.
Origin of the station's name
Misasagi' originally referred to an emperor's graveyard, and the area around the station is known by that name due to the fact that the Imperial Tomb of Emperor Tenchi is located approximately 300 meters north of the station.
Lines
Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau
Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line
Keihan Electric Railway
The Keihan Keishin Line * officially starts at Misasagi Station, but all trains that depart from this station normally connect directly to the Subway Tozai Line.
Station layout
Misasagi Station, a junction station to the Keihan Keishin Line, has a platform for westbound trains (for Keage Station) on the second basement level and a platform for eastbound trains (for Yamashina Station) on the third basement level.
Like the platforms of other Tozai Line stations, these are both double-track islands with safety barriers. While the Platform 4 has an effective length equal to six train cars, the platform barrier doors are available only for four cars.
Each station on the Tozai Line is assigned a unique station color, and the color for Misasagi Station is deep purple. The station's elevators were all made by Hitachi.
Platforms
Odd-numbered platforms are for trains bound for Rokujizo Station, while even-numbered platforms are for trains joining the Keishin Line.
When special trains are run between Misasagi and Hamaotsu Stations on occasions such as New Year's Eve, shuttle trains for Hamaotsu leave Platoform 2.
Station surroundings
The station, located in the northwestern part of the Yamashina Basin, is beneath Sanjo-dori Street (Shinomiya Yotsuzuka Line of Kyoto Prefectural Route). Sanjo-dori Street runs northwest from this location beyond Mt. Higashiyama, all the way to the Sanjo-Ohashi Bridge, the starting point of the former Tokaido Road.
The area surrounding the station is generally residential. Lake Biwa Canal runs along the foot of the mountain located north of these residential districts.
Imperial Tomb of Emperor Tenchi
Genkei-ji Temple
Kyoto Pharmaceutical University
Bus services
Keihan Bus
Hinooka bus stop
Eastbound buses (gate 4)
Route 17: Buses bound for Oyake
Hinooka - Kitakazan - Kawata - Kurisuno - Oyake
Route 19: Buses bound for Yamashina Station
Hinooka - Misasagi - Yamashina Station
Westbound buses (gate 3)
Route 17: Buses bound for Sanjo Keihan
Route 19: Buses bound for Kawaramachi Station (Kyoto Prefecture)
Hinooka - Kujoyama - Sanjo Keihan - Shijo Kawaramachi
Misasagi bus stop
Eastbound buses (gate 2)
Route 19:
Misasagi - Yamashina Station
Westbound buses (gate 1)
Route 19: Buses for Shijo Kawaramachi
Misasagi - Hinooka - Kujoyama - Sanjo Keihan - Shijo Kawaramachi
History
Misasagi Station was built by a third-sector company called Kyoto Kosoku Railway Co., Ltd.
(For details, see the article on the history of the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line.)
The station was built using a construction method known as the 'four-line shield construction method' in order to establish a connection with the Keihan Keishin Line.
Prior to the opening of the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line, two ground stations (Hinooka and Misasagi) were operated by the Keihan Electric Railway, but eventually they were integrated into the current Misasagi Station. The current station (ticket gates and platforms) is located between the former Misasagi and Hinooka stations. Consequently, although there are two entrances to the underground platforms on each side of the station (toward the former Hinooka and Misasagi stations) for the convenience of station users, it is a long walk from any of these entrances to the ticket gates, thus causing considerable inconvenience to users.
August 15, 1912: The station was opened as a Keishin Denki Kido facility.
February 1, 1925: The station became a Keihan Electric Railway facility as a result of amalgamation.
October 1, 1943: It became a Keihanshin Express Railway station as a result of another amalgamation.
December 1, 1949: The station became a Keihan Electric Railway station again as a result of the split-up of the railway company.
October 12, 1997: As a result of the opening of the underground station for the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line, rearrangements were made to train operations so that trains running on the Keihan Keishin Line could also be made to arrive at and depart from the same platforms, thereby causing the closure of the ground station.
Because the new station was a transfer (junction) station between the Municipal Subway Line and the Keihan Railway Line, station employees were allocated to the respective platforms in order to provide guidance for users during a brief period of time after the opening of the Tozai Line.
April 1, 2007: PiTaPa cards came into use.
Keishin Line Misasagi Station (closed station)
This station was a ground facility that was in operation until October 11, 1997.
Trains that stopped at this station were local trains or sub-express trains, all of which were composed of two cars.
(Before the express train service was discontinued in 1981, express trains stopped at this station.)
It was the first station at which a sub-express train from Keishin-Sanjo Station stopped.
(See the article concerning train operations on the Keihan Keishin Line before October 11, 1997.)
It was the last station at which a sub-express from Hamaotsu Station stopped before arriving at Keishin-Sanjo Station (terminal).
(Same as the above)
Given the geography of the area, the platforms on the northern and southern sides weren't designed to exactly face each other; instead, the northern platform (for trains bound for Yamashina and Hamaotsu) was located slightly toward Yamashina and Shinomiya stations and the southern platform (for trains bound for Keishin-Sanjo) was located toward Keishin-Sanjo Station.
A ticket vending machine was installed at the entrance to each platform.
There was a crossing (crossover) between the southern and northern platforms.
Before the ticket vending machines were installed, there was a period (exact dates unknown) when there were ticket sellers at the station. (it is said that these ticket sellers were elderly women recruited from nearby areas).
Currently, all platforms, including the station building, have been demolished in order to be replaced by a walkway (from the former site of the station to the former Misasagi Prefectural Route).
Adjacent stations
Tozai Line
Yamashina Station (T07) - Misasagi Station (T08) - Keage Station (T09)
Keihan Electric Railway
Keishin Line
(Keage Station -) Misasagi Station - Keihan Yamashina Station
Keihan Electric Railway
Former Keishin Line (closed in 1997)
Hinooka Station - Misasagi Station - Keihan Yamashina Station