博多での出張を終えた週末、足を延ばして熊本県人吉市を訪れた。熊本県はこれまで通過することはあっても、滞在し歩いた経験はなく、今回が実質的な初訪問である。人吉駅に降り立つと、駅周辺には蒸気機関車の展示をはじめ、線路や機関庫跡、鉄道関連の遺構が点在しており、この町が鉄道とともに歩んできた歴史を強く感じさせた。

人吉駅は1908年（明治41年）に開業し、九州山地を越えて北九州と南九州を結ぶ交通の要衝として機能してきた。その後、肥薩線として整備され、球磨川沿いの険しい地形を縫うように走る路線は、日本の鉄道史においても重要な存在である。2009年からは観光列車「SL人吉」が運行され、大正時代製の8620形蒸気機関車が現役として走り続けてきたが、2024年にその役目を終え、現在は人吉駅前で静かに保存展示されている。

錆びた金属や苔むした石積み、役目を終えた線路の断片は、かつての賑わいを語ることなく、ただ時間の堆積としてそこに在り続けている。今回は二時間ほどの短い滞在であったが、人吉という土地が内包する鉄道の記憶に触れることができた。いずれ再訪し、この町と鉄道の関係をさらに深く見つめてみたいと考えている。

After completing a business trip to Hakata, I extended my stay over the weekend and visited Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture. Although I had passed through Kumamoto on previous occasions, this was effectively my first time to walk through the city and observe it closely. Upon arriving at Hitoyoshi Station, I was immediately struck by the presence of steam locomotives on display, remnants of railway facilities, and fragments of tracks scattered around the station area. These traces made it clear that the town’s history is deeply intertwined with the railway. Hitoyoshi Station opened in 1908 and once served as a vital transportation hub connecting northern and southern Kyushu across the mountainous interior. Later developed as part of the Hisatsu Line, the railway runs along the Kuma River through steep terrain and has long been regarded as an important chapter in Japan’s railway history. From 2009, the sightseeing train SL Hitoyoshi operated on this line, hauled by the 8620 Class steam locomotive built in the Taisho era. As the oldest steam locomotive still in operation in Japan, it became a symbol of the region before being retired in 2024. Today, it stands quietly on display in front of Hitoyoshi Station. Rust-covered metal, moss-grown stonework, and disused sections of track remain scattered throughout the area. These objects do not narrate their past directly; instead, they exist as silent accumulations of time. Although my stay in Hitoyoshi lasted only a few hours, it was enough to sense the depth of memory embedded in this place. I hope to return one day and further explore the relationship between the town and the railway that shaped it.