After the failure of the 500 hp (370 kW) power car of the Jiha1 class 4-part diesel-electric trainset in 1935, Mantetsu decided to build a locomotive for high-speed, short-distance trains.

Mantetsu intended to build steam locomotives for high speed passenger trains in the future, and to be competitive with the high speeds attained by diesel trainsets, they needed to be safely operated continuously over long distances.

In addition, the introduction of technically advanced steam locomotives to replace internal-combustion railcars also took into consideration the potential for petroleum shortages in case of war.

[1] However, when tests with shale oil from the Fushun Coal Mine were conducted, it was found that the temperature in the firebox rose too high, causing a failure, and the idea was abandoned.

As they proved less successful than hoped, they ended up being used mainly on ordinary passenger trains on the Dalian–Wafangdian and Dashiqiao–Fengtian sections of Mantetsu's Dalian–Xinjing mainline.