Japanese Train Coupler

Description

The Shibata (or Shibata-type) coupler is a variation of the Scharfenberg coupler which was developed by Japanese Government Railways (JGR) engineer Mamoru Shibata (ja) in the 1930s for electric trains. It is the standard coupler type for all passenger trains in Japan as well as on commuter and subway trains in South Korea. Shinkansen (bullet train) rolling stock utilize a variation of the Shibata coupler developed by Sumitomo Metal Industries in the 1960s which uses rotary tight-lock pins, and which coincidentally bears a closer resemblance to the Scharfenberg coupler rather than the Shibata coupler.