Approved under the Railway Construction Act as a railway line from Ōgaki via
Ōno in
Fukui Prefecture to
Kanazawa in
Ishikawa Prefecture, construction began in 1935, was suspended during the
Pacific War and resumed in 1952. The first section opened in 1956 between Ōgaki and . Two years later, an extension to (present-day ) was made. Construction beyond there continued until it was suspended in 1979. Freight services ceased in 1974, and in 1984 (due to its operating deficit, sparse traffic and dead end route) the operation and ownership of the line was transferred from the then
Japan National Railways (JNR) to the
third-sector Tarumi Railway. A major shareholder was the Sumitomo Cement Co., which began freight shipments from Motosu. The improved financial situation resulted in construction being resumed, and the extension from Kōmi to Tarumi opened in 1989. The Sumitomo cement traffic ceased in 2006, with the line becoming a passenger-only operation. ==See also==