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39-587: The Miyamai Line ( 宮舞線 , Miyamai-sen ) and the Miyatoyo Line ( 宮豊線 , Miyatoyo-sen ) are the aliases assigned by Willer Trains to the sections of the line. The Nishi-Maizuru - Miyazu section was opened in 1924 by the Japanese Government Railway , and extended west progressively, reaching Amino in 1926. The Toyooka - Kumihama section opened in 1929, the Amino - Tango-Kanno section in 1931, and

78-520: A "marine ri". A fourth and shorter ri of about 600   m is still evident in some beach names. The "99-Ri" beach at Kujukuri is about 60 km. The "7-Ri" beach at Shichiri is 4.2 km long. The traditional units are still used for construction materials in Japan. For example, plywood is usually manufactured in 182 cm × 91 cm (about 72 in × 36 in ) sheets known in the trade as saburokuhan ( 3 × 6版 ) , or 3 × 6 shaku . Each sheet

117-608: A "model enterprise". Early shareholders of the railway were members of the nobility, holding "the major portion of (the) capital". The governmental system was largely expanded by the promulgation of the Railway Nationalization Act in 1906. In 1920, the Ministry of Railways was established. In 1949, JGR was reorganized to become a state-owned public corporation named the Japanese National Railways . Before

156-404: A British system; for sizes of magnetic tape and many pieces of computer hardware; for photograph sizes; and for the sizes of electronic displays for electronic devices. Photographic prints, however, are usually rounded to the nearest millimetre and screens are not described in terms of inches but "type" ( 型 , gata ). For instance, a television whose screen has a 17-inch diagonal is described as

195-632: A local adaption of the traditional Chinese system , which was adopted at a very early date. They were imposed and adjusted at various times by local and imperial statutes. The details of the system have varied over time and location in Japan's history. Japan signed the Treaty of the Metre in 1885, with its terms taking effect in 1886. It received its prototype metre and kilogram from the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in 1890. The next year,

234-416: A person for a single year, it was used to compute agricultural output and official salaries. The koku of rice was sometimes reckoned as 3000   "sacks". By the 1940s the shipping koku was 1 ⁄ 10 of the shipping ton of 40 or 42   cu   ft (i.e., 110–120 L); the koku of timber was about 10   cu   ft (280 L); and the koku of fish, like many modern bushels ,

273-672: A public awareness campaign and seeking to accomplish as much of the conversion ahead of schedule as possible. Its first success was the conversion of candy sales in Tokyo department stores from the momme to the gram in September 1956; others followed, with NHK taking the lead in media use. With the majority of the public now exposed to it since childhood, the metric system became the sole legal measurement system in most fields of Japanese life on 1 January 1959. Redrafting of laws to use metric equivalents had already been accomplished, but conversion of

312-537: A weights and measurements law codified the Japanese system, taking its fundamental units to be the shaku and kan and deriving the others from them. The law codified the values of the traditional and metric units in terms of one another, but retained the traditional units as the formal standard and metric values as secondary. In 1909, English units were also made legal within the Empire of Japan . Following World War I ,

351-502: Is about the size of one tatami mat. The thicknesses of the sheets, however, are usually measured in millimetres. The names of these units also live in the name of the bamboo flute shakuhachi ( 尺八 ) , literally "shaku eight", which measures one shaku and eight sun , and the Japanese version of the Tom Thumb story, Issun Bōshi ( 一寸法師 ) , literally "one sun boy", as well as in many Japanese proverbs . The base unit of Japanese area

390-477: Is an island nation, it was noted that ocean-going vessels are a major source of competition for the freight business of the railway. The railway invested heavily in methods to reduce coal consumption in steam locomotives; between 1920 and 1936, coal consumption per kilometer traveled was reduced by about a quarter. The government mandated the use of automatic couplers on all cars on the system in July 1925. The system

429-514: Is now much longer than the Chinese or Korean li , comprising 36 chō , 2160 ken , or 12,960   shaku . A still longer unit was formerly standard in Ise on Honshu and throughout the 9 provinces of Kyushu , which comprised 50 chō , 3000 ken , or 18,000   shaku . The imperial nautical mile of 6080   feet (1853.19   m) was also formerly used by the Japanese in maritime contexts as

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468-550: Is the tsubo , equivalent to a square ken or 36 square shaku . It is twice the size of the jō , the area of the Nagoya tatami mat. Both units are used informally in discussing real estate floorspace . Due to historical connections , the tsubo is still used as the official base unit of area in Taiwan . In agricultural contexts, the tsubo is known as the bu . The larger units remain in common use by Japanese farmers when discussing

507-467: Is typically abbreviated as mo . The Japanese form of the Chinese tael was the ryō ( 両 ). It was customarily reckoned as around 4 or 10 momme but, because of its importance as a fundamental unit of the silver and gold bullion used as currency in medieval Japan, it varied over time and location from those notional values. Imperial units are sometimes used in Japan. Feet and inches are used for most non-sport bicycles, whose tyre sizes follow

546-566: The Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce established a Committee for Weights and Measures and Industrial Standards, part of whose remit was to investigate which of Japan's three legal systems should be adopted. Upon its advice, the Imperial Diet established the metric system as Japan's legal standard, effective 1 July 1924, with use of the other systems permitted as a transitional measure. The government and "leading industries" were to convert within

585-520: The gallon and cloth by the yard. The Diet revisited the nation's measurements and, with the occupation's approval, promulgated a Measurements Law in June 1951 that reaffirmed its intention to continue Japan's metrication, effective on the first day of 1959. An unofficial and ad hoc Metric System Promotion Committee was established by interested scholars, public servants, and businessmen in August 1955, undertaking

624-428: The land registries required until 31 March 1966 to complete. Industry transitioned gradually at its own expense, with compliance sometimes being nominal, as in the case of 1 ⁄ 4 - inch (6.35  mm ) screws becoming " 1 ⁄ 4 screws". Since the original fines for noncompliance were around $ 140 and governmental agencies mostly preferred to wait for voluntary conversion, metric use by December 1959

663-467: The national census as late as 2005, although the practice was discontinued in 2010. English units continue to be employed in aviation, munitions , and various sports, including golf and baseball . The base unit of Japanese length is the shaku based upon the Chinese chi , with other units derived from it and changing over time based on its dimensions. The chi was originally a span taken from

702-574: The adoption of the measures of the Tang dynasty in 701. Following the 1868 Meiji Restoration , Imperial Japan adopted the metric system and defined the traditional units in metric terms on the basis of a prototype metre and kilogram . The present values of most Korean and Taiwanese units of measurement derive from these values as well. For a time in the early 20th century, the traditional, metric, and English systems were all legal in Japan. Although commerce has since been legally restricted to using

741-754: The end of World War II in 1945, the Japanese Government Railways operated on the main Japanese islands of Honshū , Hokkaidō , Kyūshū , Shikoku and Karafuto . The railways in Taiwan and Korea were operated by the local Governor-General Offices - the Taiwan Government-General Railway and the Chosen Government Railway respectively - and were not part of JGR. While the JGR was the only major operator of intercity railways after

780-605: The end of the thumb to the tip of an outstretched middle finger, but which gradually increased in length to about 1 ⁄ 3 metre (33  cm ), just a few centimetres longer than the size of a foot . As in China and Korea, Japan employed different shaku for different purposes. The "carpentry" shaku ( 曲尺 , kanejaku ) was used for construction. It was a little longer in the 19th century prior to its metric redefinition. The "cloth" or "whale" shaku ( 鯨尺 , kujirajaku ), named for tailors' and fabric merchants' baleen rulers,

819-487: The establishment of the Japanese National Railways as a public corporation on June 1, 1949, the Japanese Government Railways were operated by the governmental agencies. The table below shows the historical operators of the JGR. Translated names of ministries may not be official. Names of the operating department generally mean "department (or office, section, agency) of railways" or like. Since opening in 1872,

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858-429: The government pushed the deadline for the conversion of the first group of industries to 1939; the rest of the country was given until 1954. Emboldened, the nationalists succeeded in having an Investigating Committee for Weights and Measures Systems established. In 1938, it advised that the government should continue to employ the "Shaku–Kan" system alongside the metric one. The next year, the imperial ordinance concerning

897-637: The line was completed in 1932 with the opening of the Kumihama - Tango-Kanno section Freight services ceased in 1985, and in 1990 the Kitakinki Tango Railway commenced operating the line. It electrified the Amanohashidate - Miyazu section in 1996, enabling EMU services from the Miyafuku Line to service Amanohashidate Station. On April 1, 2015, the train operation business of Kitakinki Tango Railway

936-490: The metric system, the old system is still used in some instances. The old measures are common in carpentry and agriculture , with tools such as chisels , spatels, saws, and hammers manufactured in sun and bu sizes. Floorspace is expressed in terms of tatami mats , and land is sold on the basis of price in tsubo . Sake is sold in multiples of 1   gō , with the most common bottle sizes being 4 (720 mL) or 10 (1.8 L, isshōbin ). Customary Japanese units are

975-410: The ministry itself as a railway operator. Other English names for the government railways include Imperial Japanese Government Railways and Imperial Government Railways , which were mainly used prior to the establishment of the ministry. This article covers the railways operated by the central government of Japan from 1872 to 1949 notwithstanding the official English name of the system of each era. By

1014-567: The next decade, with others following in the decade after that. Public education —at the time compulsory through primary school—began to teach the metric system. Governmental agencies and the Japanese Weights and Measures Association undertook a gradual course of education and conversion but opposition became vehemently outspoken in the early 1930s. Nationalists decried the "foreign" system as harmful to Japanese pride, language, and culture, as well as restrictive to international trade. In 1933,

1053-463: The railway set fares for passengers in three classes. The transportation of freight was charged based on weight and class of goods. In 1872, passengers could choose from Upper, Middle and Lower classes, which were later renamed as First, Second and Third classes. Freight was shipped using one of five rates based on 100 kin of product. A 1923 review of the shipping tariffs further explained that goods are divided into three shipping classes (according to

1092-402: The railways were nationalized in 1906–1907, privately owned regional railways were also active. The gauge used for Japanese railways was 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) (narrow gauge) other than some minor exceptions (184.2 km (114.5 mi) total in the peak years of 1936-38 ) of 762 mm ( 2 ft 6 in ) gauge lines being used. The first railway in Japan

1131-428: The sizes of fields. The base unit of Japanese volume is the shō , although the gō now sees more use since it is reckoned as the appropriate size of a serving of rice or sake . Sake and shochu are both commonly sold in large 1800   mL bottles known as isshōbin ( 一升瓶 ) , literally "one shō bottle". The koku is historically important: since it was reckoned as the amount of rice necessary to feed

1170-462: The transition to the metric system was formally revised, indefinitely exempting real estate and historical objects and treasures from any need for metric conversion. The deadline for compulsory conversion in all other fields was moved back to 31 December 1958. Following its defeat in World War II , Japan was occupied by America and saw an expanded use of US customary units . Gasoline was sold by

1209-510: The ways in which they are to be handled by the railway): koguchi atsukai (goods in small lots), kashikini atsukai (goods for a reserved freight car) and tokushu atsukai (goods requiring special treatment). It was also possible to ship them via futsubin (regularly-scheduled trains) and kyukobin (express trains). "It may, therefore, be fairly said that the freight rates of the State-owned railways in Japan are of absolute uniformity." As Japan

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1248-447: Was 1 ⁄ 4 longer and used in measuring cloth. (A longer unit of about 25   cloth shaku was the tan .) Traditional Japanese clothing was reckoned using the "traditional clothing" shaku ( 呉服尺 , gofukujaku ), about 1 ⁄ 5 longer than the carpentry shaku . The Shōsōin in Nara has ivory 1- shaku rulers, the kōgebachiru-no-shaku ( 紅牙撥鏤尺 ) . The Japanese ri

1287-594: Was dissolved in 1942, following the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941. Japanese units of measurement Traditional Japanese units of measurement or the shakkanhō ( 尺貫法 ) is the traditional system of measurement used by the people of the Japanese archipelago . It is largely based on the Chinese system , which spread to Japan and the rest of the Sinosphere in antiquity. It has remained mostly unaltered since

1326-472: Was estimated at only 85%. Since research showed that individual Japanese did not intend to actually use the metric units when given other options, however, sale and verification of devices marked with non-metric units (such as rulers and tape measures noting shaku and sun ) were criminalised after 1961. Some use of the traditional units continues. Some Japanese describe their weight in terms of kan . Homes continue to be reckoned in terms of tsubo , even on

1365-401: Was no longer reckoned by volume but computed by weight (40   kan ). The shakujime of timber was about 12   cu   ft (340 L) and the taba about 108   ft³ (3,100 L or 3.1 m ). The base unit of Japanese mass is the kan , although the momme is more common. It is a recognised unit in the international pearl industry. In English-speaking countries, momme

1404-411: Was operated by the imperial government in 1872. The idea of centralization of the railway was promoted under the idea of "breaking down of the geographical barriers that existed in the feudal communities which hindered the centralization of authority". Placing the railways under government control was for military and political ends; the government had no intention for the central railway to be operated as

1443-553: Was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( Japanese : 鉄道省 , romanized :  Tetsudō-shō , Japanese pronunciation: [te̞t͡sɨᵝdo̞ːɕo̞ː] ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group . The English name "Japanese Government Railways" was what the Ministry of Railways (established in 1920) used to call its own "Ministry Lines" ( 省線 , shōsen ) and sometimes

1482-585: Was transferred to Willer Trains, Inc., which named the railway system the Kyoto Tango Railway. At this time, the nicknames Miyamai Line and Miyatoyo Line were assigned to the line. Legend: S - trains stop; | - trains pass This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Japanese Misplaced Pages Japanese Government Railway The Japanese Government Railways ( JGR )

1521-594: Was transitioning from vacuum brakes to air brakes at this time, with most freight cars equipped with air brakes by April 1927. One of the roles of the Japanese Government Railways was to attract foreign tourists to Japan. In 1930, the government created the Board of Tourist Industry ( 国際観光局 , Kokusai Kankō Kyoku ) as a section of the Japanese Government Railways (Ministry of Railways). The Board printed and distributed picture posters and English guidebooks overseas and encouraged development of resort hotels at home. The Board

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