The is a high-speed

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

train service operated on the

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...

between and by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

(JR East) in Japan.

Name

The word ''yamabiko'' is usually translated as 'echo', particularly one which is heard in the mountains.

Rolling stock

E2 series The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed lines in Japan since 1997. They are formed in 8- and 10-car sets. The 8-car sets were used on the Hokuriku ...

(since March 1997) *

E5 series The and the related are Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train types built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The E5 series is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East); it was introduced on Tōhoku Shinkansen services on 5 M ...

(since November 2011) * E6 series (since 16 March 2013)JR Timetable, March 2013 = * 200 series (June 1982 – November 2011) * E1 series (''Max Yamabiko'') (July 1994 – December 1999) *

E4 series E4, E.IV or E-4 may refer to: Entertainment * E4 (TV channel), a television channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland * ''Every Extend Extra Extreme'', a video game from Q Entertainment * Entertainment for All, a video game expo Transportation ...

(''Max Yamabiko'') (20 December 1997 - 28 September 2012) issue * H5 series (since 26 March 2016) File:E2 J74 Yamabiko 216 Omiya 20110206.jpg, E2 series File:Shinkansen E3 komachi.JPG, E3 series File:JRE-TEC-E5 omiya.JPG, E5 series File:2013年1月20日E6系S12編成試運転.jpg, E6 series File:H5系 H1編成仙台駅入線.JPG, H5 series

Former rolling stock

* 200 series (June 1982 – November 2011) * E1 series (''Max Yamabiko'') (July 1994 – December 1999) * E3 series (until 31 October 2020) *

(''Max Yamabiko'') (until 28 September 2012) File:JR East Shinkansen 200(renewal).jpg, 200 series File:Shinkansen-e1.jpg, E1 series File:Shinkansen_(bullet_train)_：_The_Max-Yamabiko_super_express_(Series_E4_train).JPG, E4 series

History

1959–1963: Semi express

On 1 February 1959, the name ''Yamabiko'' was introduced on a service between Fukushima and

Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...

on the

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

. This service operated until 30 September 1963.

1965–1982: Limited express

From 1 October 1965, the name was reintroduced for

limited express A limited express is a type of express train or express bus service that stops at fewer locations compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common translation of the Japanese ...

services operating between

Ueno is a district in Taitō, Tokyo. The area extending from Ueno to Asakusa is part of the historical Shitamachi (literally "low city") district of Tokyo, which is often associated with working-class traditions and culture as well as their dist ...

in Tokyo and Morioka. These services continued until 22 June 1982, the day before the

opened.

1982–Present: Shinkansen

From the start of services on the newly opened Tōhoku Shinkansen on 23 June 1982, ''Yamabiko'' became the name used for the limited-stop shinkansen services operating initially between Ōmiya and Morioka, later between Ueno and Morioka, and eventually between

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and Morioka. Since 1 July 1992, some ''Yamabiko'' services have run coupled with '' Tsubasa'' services (as of 2011 formed of E3 series sets) between Tokyo and Fukushima. From 19 November 2011,

trainsets were introduced on some ''Yamabiko'' services, replacing the remaining 200 series-operated services.

Special event train services

Sayonara 200 series Yamabiko

On 30 March 2013, a special train operated from Morioka to Tokyo, as a farewell run for the 200 series on ''Yamabiko'' services.

References

External links

E2 series ''Yamabiko''/''Nasuno''

{{JR East trains Tōhoku Shinkansen Railway services introduced in 1959 Named Shinkansen trains 1959 establishments in Japan