An axial hydraulic pump-motor, in which a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinder bores on a valve plate having a high-pressure side port and a low-pressure side port for controlling an amount of reciprocation of a piston in each of the cylinder bores, the hydraulic pump-motor includes: a residual pressure release port provided on the valve plate and communicating until the cylinder bore on a top dead center side communicates with the low-pressure side port; a residual pressure acquisition portion obtaining a value of a residual pressure in the cylinder bore on the top dead center side; and a directional switching valve switching a flow path between the residual pressure release port and an hydraulic oil tank and a flow path between the residual pressure release port and the low-pressure side port.