This study examines how land use and ownership changed during the construction of a light railway and changed again after its abandonment. The author analyzes the case of the former Tono Railway running through the old Kani district of Gifu Prefecture between 1918 and 1928.
The results are summarized as follows: First, in terms of land use, most of the vacant land in the southern segment of the railway right-of-way remained in a state of wilderness after the abandonment of the railway, while the northern part showed a tendency to be transformed back to fields immediately. This difference can be explained by the fact that the land in the northern area was estimated to be more valuable than that in the southern area during this period.
Second, from the viewpoint of land ownership, the promoters of the Tono Railway and various influential people had owned the southern part of the railway right-of-way before its construction. This railway land was bought back by the original landowners after the abandonment of the railway. However, the northern segment of the railway land that had belonged to many local people before the opening of the railway later came to be owned by people adjacent to the railway right-of-way.
Through careful examination, it was learned that the dismantling of the southern segment of the railway was delayed in comparison with the northern segment. It is possible that the results of this study may help in understanding differences in land use and land values between large and small-scale land owners.
