Feline railway legacy continues with two kitties inaugurated as stationmasters in Wakayama Prefecture.

For more than a month, the position of stationmaster had been vacant at Kishi Station in Wakayama Prefecture. That might seem like a major oversight by rail operator Wakayama Electric Railway, but there was an unusual required qualification that made this restaffing project uniquely challenging for the company: candidates had to be cats.

Kishi Station is in the town of Kinokawa, a relatively rural part of Wakayama Prefecture that doesn’t have a lot of high-profile sightseeing destinations. And yet, for nearly 20 years just about everyone in Japan has known who the acting stationmaster is at Kishi Station, because it’s always been a cat. The first feline to hold that position, named Tama, attracted national attention when the kitty was formally promoted to stationmaster status in 2007. Tama then acquired a subordinate cat, Nitama, who came to Kishi in 2012 and took over the stationmaster role after Tama passed away in 2012.

▼ Nitama, who was also designated as a shrine priest

Sadly, Nitama passed away this past November, at the age of 15. As was done with Tama, a funeral ceremony was held, with Wakayama Electric Railway president Mitsunobu Kojima in attendance to offer prayers and gratitude.

Rather than recruit external candidates for Nitama’s replacement, Wakayama Electric Railway has chosen to promote from within. Yontama, previously the cat stationmaster at Idakiso, a less prominent station elsewhere on the Kishigawa Line, has been tapped to serve as Kishi Station’s new stationmaster.

▼ Yontama, attending Nitama’s memorial in the arms of Kojima

A ceremony was held in front of Kishi Station on January 7 to officially inaugurate Yontama, and she was given a letter of appointment and medallion with her title engraved on it by President Kojima, who said he looks forward to Yontama’s help in providing passengers with enjoyable journeys on Wakayama Electric Railway’s network.

If you’re worried that Yontama’s promotion to the Kishi Station position might mean that Idakiso Station is now without a feline stationmaster, you can put your mind at ease. Yontama’s subordinate, Idakiso Station vice-stationmaster Gotama, has now been elevated to stationmaster status.

In addition, Wakayama Electric Railway took in a one-year-old rescue cat last year, who they’ve named Rokutama, as a “cat employee,” so it looks like their HR department is committed to maintaining the company’s feline work talent pool.

Source: Wakayama Electric Railway Company (1, 2, 3), Mainichi Shimbun
Top image: Wakayama Electric Railway Company
Insert images: Wakayama Electric Railway Company (1, 2, 3)
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