Introduction

Nakasendô or Kisokaidô ?

The official name of the road, and the one mostly used by Japanese is Nakasendô (road through the mountains), but the name Kisokaidô (road along the Kiso River) is also used. The central part of the itinerary is taken over a very old road named Kisoji which follows the Kiso river valley. So it is the name Kisokaidô which was chosen by the publisher for the prints series depicting the whole of the path and which I also used for this site.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), several sections of old roads were connected and the name Nakasendô was given to the reunited pathways. Two sets of kanji (characters) 中山道 and 中仙道 were used with the same pronunciation, but in the end the shogunate decided to use 中山道 as the official name in 1716.

In the Japanese maps or road signs, Nakasendô is used and displayed, but in the Western world, thanks to the popularity of the print series, it is Kisokaidô which is better known.

History

After his victory at the Sekigahara battle in Oct.1600 (see station 58 and next page), Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan and became Shogun with broad executive powers. Japan was then organized with a feudal system with lords (daimyo), clan chiefs or head of domains swearing allegiance to the Shogun. To control the lords, a system of alternate attendance (sankin-kotai) was devised. The requirement was that every daimyo (lord) was to move between his domain (han) and Edo, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages. The expenditures necessary to maintain lavish residences in both places, and for the procession to and from Edo, placed financial strains on the daimyo making them unable to wage war. The frequent travels of the daimyos encouraged road building and the construction of inns and facilities along the routes, generating economic activity.

There were about 250 domains, so with several hundreds lords moving with lavish processions (大名行列, daimyō-gyōretsu) to and from Edo every year, roads were busy, often clogged as the roads were kept narrow to hinder movement of any armed troops. Stations were created with lodgings and restaurants. Daimyo were accommodated in specific houses named Honjin (本陣). Secondary lodgings named waki-honjin ( 脇本陣 ) were reserved for officers and lower officials. inns or other lodgings known as hatago ( 旅籠 ), restaurants, brothels, warehouses known as toyaba (問屋) and checkpoint to control the traffic or seki-sho (関所) were the other important buildings of the station. There were several barriers along the road with the main ones being the Usui-no-seki (Station Sakamoto #17) , Fukushima-no-seki (Station Fukushima, #37 ), Fuwa-no-seki (Station Sekigahara #58) and Oosaka-no-seki (between Otsu and Kyoto #69) Some of these structures are still standing, either as museum or still operating as business and I have tried to point these out in the following pages.

Gokaido or the 5 main roads

• Tokaidô (東海道 road of the Eastern Sea) created in 1624, was going from Kyoto where the Emperor resided to Edo where the Shogun lived. This road was following the sea and is 480km / 290 mi long. It is still today the main (and busiest) road in modern Japan.

• Nikkokaidô (日光道 road to Nikko), created in 1636 was going from Edo to Nikko in the North. Nikko is a temple and sanctuary where the Tokugawa shogun were buried. The road has 21 stations.

• Oshukaidô (奥州道): Created in 1646, was going from Edo to Shirakawa in North-West direction. There were 27 stations, with the first 17 shared with Nikkokaido.

• Koshukaidô (甲州道), created in 1772, linked Edo to Kofu in the Eastern mountains and met the Nakasendo at Shimosuwa. It had 44 stations

• Nakasendô (中山道 road through the mountains) (or Kisokaido road along the Kiso (river)), created in 1694, was also linking Edo and Kyoto, but on a Northern route. Difficult in winter, it was a more difficult road than the Tokaido, but better sheltered from the sea storms, was cooler in summer and did not have any sea crossings and fewer fords. It is 540km / 322 mi long and has 69 stations.

The Tokaidô and the Nakasendô - both running between Kyoto and Edo - were the most popularly traveled of the gokaidô. The Tokaidô flat, mostly level paralleled the eastern seaboard and involved the crossing of twelve rivers and a few larger bodies of water, such as Ise Bay and Lake Hamana-ko, as well. Regardless of the necessity of ferry crossings, which sometimes involved rough waves and long waits, the weather was relatively warm and pleasant, and thus the Tokaido was a preferred route. On the other hand, the Nakasendô, and especially the Kiso Road section, ran through deep mountain valleys and along treacherous cliffs and was often cold even during the early and late summers. Nonetheless, it was the favored route of the imperial family, the nobility and their princesses, and the family of the shogun. The most famous journey along the Nakasendô is, perhaps, that of the princess Kazu-no-Miya, who traveled to Edo in 1862 to marry the fourteenth Tokugawa shogun, Iemochi. Her retinue consisted of some twenty-five thousand men, which backed up some of the more difficult passes for weeks.

Numbering of the stations

How should we number the station? With the starting point as a station or not, i.e is Nihonbashi a station? For me, it is only a starting point and I have given it the numer "0" with Itabashi, the following stop being number "1"

This choice is not in line with the prints' numbering where Nihonbashi is No.1, but it seemed more logic, especially if you plan to walk the road. But many other sources made a different choice and this may explain why you will find different numbering depending on the sources.

I have added a special page between station 58 and station 59 to tell the story of the Battle of Sekigahara.

The buildings at the stations: Toiya, honjin, waki-honjin and hatago-ya

Post towns or stations were originally designed to accommodate travelling lords (daimyo), on their way to Edo and facilitate shogunate communication. All had a relay station or toiya providing horses, renting palanquins and making arrangements for sending baggage to the next station. The toiya managers wore a three-quarters jacket and a sort of pants and had the right to carry a sword. It was their responsibility to ensure that there was enough horses and men to transport the daimyo's travel equipment and he could bring in corvée laborers from the local farms.

The honjin (本陣) or official lodgings were initially places from where generals were directing the troups during a battle. They were then temporary structures, but they evolved into more permanent structures were lords or shogun representatives would stay when travelling. Many Honjin were in fact the personal residences of the town head. As such, they had to welcome and accommodate important visitors and other officials. In exchange, they were granted special privileges and benefits. Ordinary travelers, even very rich ones could not stay in honjin.

Secondary lodgings or waki-honjin ( 脇本陣 ) were reserved by the lords retinues and officers.

Ordinary travellers stopped in inns or hatago ( 旅籠 ) which were also serving meals. There were two types of hatago: the meshimori hatago where the waitress doubled as prostitutes. Originally there was a maximum of two such inns per stations, but the rule was never really enforced. The Hira-hatago catered to women travelers, couples and priests. Both types of hatago employed tome onna or women who coaxed and sometimes forcefully pulled travelers into their establishments.

At the entrance of the official stations, great stone lanterns were erected to signal an official stop (see Fukaya, station 9). In the villages, an official notice board in wood named kosatsu ( 高札 ) was the main means to publish laws, regulations and announcements. Some of these have been maintained (see Magome, station 43)

There were also checkpoints at several places along the road. At this checkpoints or seki-sho (関所), travellers had to stop and show their ID and travel permits. The main purpose was to ensure the security of the shogunate by stopping any movement of firearms and to watch the passage of the daimyo's wives and daughters held hostage in Edo. The passage of women through the barriers was discouraged and people could be physically checked at close range. The other purpose of these check points in the Kiso area was to control the transport of lumber which was the main resource of the area and highly regulated by the Owari clan.The best preserved of these checkpoints on the Nakasendo is at Fukushima (station 37).

And today ?

1868 saw the end of the shogunate and power reverted to the emperor. Emperor Meiji modernized the country and with the start of the railway, the old road system declined. The old narrow roads were replaced by wider roads and motorways. The main part of the original road is still used today, but little remains of the old Edo-period road. But a few sections have been restored, a few stations have kept several old buildings while others have disappeared, either due to natural disasters (fires, earthquakes,..) or victims to modernization.

The best preserved section (and which I encourage you to walk) is between station 42 Tsumago (Nagano pref.) and 43 Magome (Gifu pref.) where the original paving is still present. Other villages have old buildings from 18th or 19th centuries: Honjin are still visible in Okegawa, Wada, Shiosuwa and Ota; Hatago are in operation in Ashida, Narai, Yabuhara, Hosokute and Tarui.

Next page : The 69 stations of the Kisokaido