Hira Station (Shiga)
railway station in Otsu, Shiga prefecture, Japan
Hira Station (比良駅, Hira-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Hira Station is served by the Kosei Line, and is 30.0 kilometres (18.6 miles) from the starting point of the line at Yamashina and 35.5 kilometres (22.1 miles) from Kyoto.
Station layout
The station consists of two opposed elevated side platforms with the station building underneath. The station is staffed.
Platforms
History
The station opened on 20 July 1974 as a station on the Japan National Railway (JNR). The station became part of the West Japan Railway Company on 1 April 1987 due to the privatization and dissolution of the JNR.
Station numbering was introduced in March 2018 with Hira being assigned station number JR-B20.
Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 1544 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).
Surrounding area
Japan National Route 161
Hira Mountain Trailhead (Mt. Domandake, Mt.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hira Station (Shiga)” is railway station in Otsu, Shiga prefecture, Japan. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hira, Station and Shiga, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “railway station in Otsu, Shiga prefecture, Japan” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5365241. Authority coordinates are 35.220, 135.944. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1974, 1987, 2018 and 2019.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hira Station (Shiga)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hira Station (Shiga) primary sources, Hira Station (Shiga) archive and Hira research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hira Station (Shiga)”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hira Station (Shiga)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.