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The story
On 16 September 1910, Nara Tramway Co., Ltd. (奈良軌道株式会社, Nara Kidō) was founded and renamed Osaka Electric Tramway Co., Ltd. (大阪電気軌道株式会社, Ōsaka Denki Kidō; Daiki (大軌)) a month after. Osaka Electric Tramway completed Ikoma Tunnel and started operating a line between Osaka and Nara (present-day Nara Line) on 30 April 1914. The modern Kashihara, Osaka, and Shigi lines were completed in the 1920s, followed by the Kyoto Line (a cooperative venture with Keihan Electric Railway). Daiki founded Sangu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (参宮急行電鉄株式会社, Sangū Kyūkō Dentetsu; Sankyū (参急)) in 1927, which consolidated Ise Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (伊勢電気鉄道株式会社, Ise Denki Tetsudō; Iseden (伊勢電)) on 15 September 1936.
In 1938, Daiki teamed up with its subsidiary Kansai Express Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (関西急行電鉄株式会社, Kansai Kyūkō Dentetsu) to operate the first private railway service from Osaka to Nagoya. Another subsidiary Sankyū bought Kansai Express Electric Railway on 1 January 1940 and continued the service on its own. Then, Sankyū consolidated Yoro Railway Co., Ltd. (養老鉄道株式会社, Yōrō Tetsudō; not the present Yoro Railway Co., Ltd.) on 1 August. Daiki consolidated its largest subsidiary Sankyū on 15 March 1941 and was renamed Kansai Express Railway Co., Ltd. (関西急行鉄道, Kansai Kyūko Tetsudō; Kankyū (関急)). Kankyū consolidated Osaka Railway Co., Ltd. (大阪鉄道株式会社, Ōsaka Tetsudō; Daitetsu (大鉄), owner of the present Minami Osaka Line) on 1 February 1943 and moved its headquarters from Uehommachi to Osaka Abenobashi.
Kankyū was renamed Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. (近畿日本鉄道株式会社, Kinki Nippon Tetsudō; Kinki Nippon (近畿日本) or Kin-nichi (近日)) after it consolidated Nankai Railway in June 1944: it maintained the name when Nankai regained its independence in 1947.
After World War II, Kintetsu branched out and became one of the world's largest travel agencies, Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd., opening offices in the United States of America (Kintetsu International Express, Inc.) and other countries.
The first charged limited express train service started between Uehommachi and Nagoya in 1947, and this is the start of the present Kintetsu limited express trains. The rail network was mostly completed by consolidating Nara Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (奈良電気鉄道株式会社; Naraden (奈良電)), Shigi-Ikoma Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (信貴生駒電鉄株式会社), Mie Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (三重電気鉄道株式会社; Mieden (三重電)) and other companies.
Kintetsu moved its headquarters again from Osaka Abenobashi to Osaka Uehommachi on 5 December 1969.
On 28 June 2003, Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. was renamed Kintetsu Corporation. The corporation was split on 1 April 2015. Its railway business division was succeeded by Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. (founded on 30 April 2014), while its real estate business division by Kintetsu Real Estate Co., Ltd., its hotel business division by Kintetsu Hotel Systems, Inc., and its retail business by Kintetsu Retail Service Corporation, respectively.
On the same day Kintetsu Corporation was split, it was renamed as Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd. as a holding company, while Kintetsu Split Preparatory Company, Ltd. was renamed as Kintetsu Railway Co., Ltd.
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Abbreviations
From its founding to present
16 September 1910—14 April 1941: Daiki (大軌)
15 April 1941—31 May 1944: Kankyū (関急)
1 June 1944—1948: Kinki Nippon (近畿日本) or Kin-nichi (近日)
Present: Kintetsu (近鉄) — used for the official corporate name in English since 2003.
Acquired or merged companies
Sangu Express Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Sankyū (参急)
Ise Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Iseden (伊勢電)
Osaka Railway Co., Ltd.: Daitetsu (大鉄)
Nara Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Naraden (奈良電)
Mie Electric Railway Co., Ltd.: Mieden (三重電)
From Wikipedia’s article on Kintetsu Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4