It connects Kogota Station in Misato, Miyagi Prefecture to Shinjō Station in Shinjō, Yamagata Prefecture,[2] acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main Line, Ōu Main Line, and Tōhoku Shinkansen in the southern Tōhoku region, and provides access to north-western Miyagi Prefecture and north-eastern Yamagata Prefecture.

Its name refers to the ancient provinces of Mutsu (陸奥) and Dewa (出羽) (or alternatively, the Meiji period provinces of Rikuzen (陸前) and Uzen (羽前)), which the line connects.

CTC signalling was commissioned in 1983, and freight services ceased in 1987.

The line celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 3, 2017, with a special train hauled by JNR Class DE10 locomotives.

This article about a Japanese railway line–related topic is a stub.