“Mt. Takao Cable Car near Kiyotaki Station”, Hachioji, c. 1930. The six-minute ascent from Kiyotaki Station to Takaosan Station has the steepest gradient of any funicular railway in Japan at ~31%.

See also:
“Thirty-Six Children beside the steps to the Head Temple”, Mt. Takao, Hachioji, Tokyo, c. 1930.
Ise Asakuma Funicular Cable Car, Toba, Mie Prefecture, c. 1930.
Ascending Mt. Hiei, Kyoto, c. 1930.

“Mt. Takao Cable Car near Kiyotaki Station”, Hachioji, c. 1930.

“The cable car at Mount Takao, Takaotozan, is said to have been the brainchild of Muto Norihide, the 27th head priest of Takaosan Yakuoin Temple . At the time, the temple had over 300,000 followers, and those wishing to worship there had to walk from Asakawa Station (now Takao Station ) on the Chuo Main Line to the foot of Mount Takao and then climb a steep mountain path, a difficult task for anyone of any age.

“Construction of the the cable car line began in 1921 and, despite interruptions caused by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, began service on January 21, 1927. Later, when the Sino-Japanese War broke out and the country entered a wartime regime, people began to gather at Mount Takao to pray for victory and continued good fortune in battle.

“But as the war situation worsened, cable cars across the country were required in 1944 to be suspended as “nonessential lines”. The line reopened in 1948 under new management.

“Because of its historic ties to the temple, The cable car also operates throughout the night New Year’s Eve for those visiting shrines or observing the year’s first sunrise from the mountaintop.”

“Mt. Takao Cable Car near Kiyotaki Station”, Hachioji, c. 1930.

Mt. Takao Cable Car Entrance, Mt. Takao Cable Car, Hachioji, c. 1930. Souvenir postcard.