Junnosuke Takayanagi, The 'Father of the Ikegami Line' #106

Preamble

Kamata's growth was driven by railways,
especially the Ikegami Electric Railway
(now Tokyu Ikegami Line).
This line's journey was difficult,
but an "unsung great person of Ota Ward"
made it possible.
We trace the influence of this man,
who contributed to the line.

The 'Dark Railway King'

Junnosuke Takayanagi
Born: 1882 – Died: 1964.
An entrepreneur, politician, author,
and swindler from Ibaraki.

■ Biography & Tactics

1920:
　Elected to the House of Representatives.

Same Year:
　Targeted the Joto Electric Tramway.
　He bought shares,
　then forced management to buy them back,
　netting a ¥200,000 profit.
　(an enormous sum for the time).

His method:
　Raise capital from investors to revive troubled firms
　—like a modern fund
　—but through questionable means.

1921–1925:
　Established several dummy companies for fundraising,
　marking the rise of "Dark Takayanagi."

1925:
　Elected to the House of Peers.

1935:
　Convicted of fraud,
　his commendations were stripped.
　He vanished from the public eye.

Ikegami Railway's Struggle

■ 10 Years of Delay

1912:
　Goro Matsukata and other initiators
　first applied for the railway license.
　The plan was to connect
　Meguro and Omori via Ikegami.

1914–1917:
　Approval took two years.
　Due to constant funding difficulties
　and low credibility of the initiators,
　construction permits were repeatedly delayed.

1917:
　The company was finally established after five years.

■ Route Change

Land acquisition near Omori was difficult.

1918:
　The company changed the plan,
　acquiring a license
　for the Ikegami-Kamata branch line
　
　This was a major shift: it replaced
　the original main Omori route.

1921:
　Groundbreaking finally occurred,
　yet progress remained slow.

　The reason was a continued lack of capital.
　This chronic financial strain plagued the project.

Takayanagi: The Speed of the 'Savior'

■ Seizure and Opening
1921:
　Takayanagi bought shares,
　seeing the profit potential.

1922 Apr.:
　Takayanagi seized control of management,
　rejecting a rival offer.
　He pushed to open the moribund project
　by the October festival.

　Since new cars were unavailable,
　he hastily secured two used trains
　from Sunen Electric Railway,

　They ran, remarkably,
　with their original names still visible.

1922 Oct. 6:
　After ten years of planning,
　the Kamata–Ikegami section opened

　Remarkably, this took just six months
　under Takayanagi's leadership.

　Crucially, this switch to Kamata established it
　as a terminal station for the first time.

■ The Flaws

This speed required low-cost construction,
often below Ministry standards.
The funding companies he set up
were mostly dummy companies.

They were used to enrich his personal wealth,
not fund the railway.

Naturally, his mask as a "savior" soon fell.

Downfall and Legacy

■ The Scandal

1925 Sep.:
　Takayanagi's opaque finances were exposed:
　fraud, massive embezzlement, and forgery.
　This was the "Takayanagi Incident,
　" leading to his imprisonment.

1925 Dec.:
　He was forced to resign as director.

■ Retrospective

The Ikegami Electric Railway was failing
until Takayanagi’s momentum saved it.

His involvement lasted a brief five years.

However,
that period laid the undeniable foundation
for the current Ikegami Line.

This line was later even celebrated
in a song titled "Ikegami Line."
released in 1976 (Showa 51).

ClosingtoEncourageComments

Takayanagi had great merit and serious crime.
When evaluating such a person,
do you call them a "great person" or a "villain"?
Share your thoughts!

We look forward to your insights
on the legacy of the 'Father of the Ikegami Line.'
Please share your valuable perspectives.