A railway essential to life and industry in the Okumikawa region

A railway known as the Toyokawa Railway began in 1900 with a route between Toyohashi and Omi in the Okumikawa region, located at the easternmost edge of Aichi Prefecture. In 1923, when the Horaiji Railway was opened between Omi and Mikawa-Kawai, residents of Taguchi Town—or what is now Shitara Town—asked that the railway be extended to the upper reaches of the Toyo River, closer to them. At the time, the forest near Mt. Dando in the upper reaches of the Toyo River was an imperial forest owned by the imperial family, and construction of a railroad was proposed to the Imperial Household Agency at the time in order to transport wood from the forest, which led to the establishment of the Taguchi Railway in 1927.

In 1929, the company opened the section between Horaiji-guchi (now Hon-nagashino Station on the JR Iida Line) and Mikawa-Ebi (11.6 km), marking the beginning of the Taguchi Line. After that, it was extended to Kiyosaki (6.5 km) and further to Mikawa-Taguchi (4.5 km), making the total length 22.6 km. After being operated and managed by the national railroad company—what is now "JR"—it was taken over by Toyohashi Rail Road in 1956 and became the Toyohashi Rail Road Taguchi Line.
With the opening of the Taguchi Line, the Okumikawa region's lifestyle and industries greatly developed not only through the transportation of lumber but also through the securing of fresh food, the opening of high schools along the line, ease in commuting to work or school, and the attraction of tourists.
However, depopulation and the evolution of an automobile-centric society led to a decrease in passengers, and in 1968, the line was unfortunately discontinued.