Kisokaidô: Oiwake - Station 20

Keizai Eisen - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Oiwake (21th print) Station Oiwake - View of Mt.Asama (Oiwake shuku Asamayama chobo)

© Trustees of the British Museum

At 1,000m/3,500 ft high, Oiwake was the highest station on the Kisokaido. Eisen does not bother with the station itself, but chooses instead the road along the slope of Mt.Asama, a very active volcano. In 1783, a major eruption caused widespread destructions and led to poor harvests and famine and was still on everybody’s mind at the time of the print's creation in 1835. Here a man (1) leads a laden packhorse. The horse’s girth (2) and the blanket (3) are emblazoned with the emblems of Hoeido 竹(Take) and 竹内 (Takeuchi), the publisher. Ahead of them, other travelers make their way accompanying cargo carried by almost naked porters.

The first edition (here above) takes place on a sunny day with the Mt.Asama in yellow ochre. Later editions (see below) shows the travelers under heavy rains. The volcano is darker and the symbols on the horse’s girth and blanket are the one for Kinjudo. Both Eisen’s signature and kiwame take (極竹) seal (4) have disappeared. These differences between editions are extreme and go beyond the simple colour variations requiring the carving of an extra block for the rain.

(Source: The 69 stations of the Kisokaido, Sebastian Izzard, Brazillier 2008)

Oiwake and Mt.Asama in a Guide to Kisokaido Road (Kisoji Meisho zue) illustrated by Hiroshige and published in 1851 (source (Waseda university, Tokyo)

Oiwake - The village in 1870

Oiwake - Waki-honjin Yuya in 1880

Oiwake - Waki honjin Yuya in 1939

The Yuya Inn today

And now ?

Oiwake means “road separation” or forked road : This is where the Hokkoku-kaido branches out, going to the major Zenko-ji Buddhist temple in Nagano, one of Japan’s major pilgrimages. In 1843, the station had 103 buildings, with one honjin, two waki-honjin and 35 inns. This old wooden sign on the left indicates 39ri from Edo (154km or 98 mi) and 91 ri 14 cho from Kyoto., i.e. 360km/222 mi. We are at the foot of Mt. Asama, a very active volcano with five eruptions between 2000 and 2011 and a spectacular one in 2009. Lava fields run across the Kisokaido road with the largest one named “Onihoshidashi” (devil’s run) dates back to the major 1783 eruption. The rugged lava blocks surround a temple and its stone lanterns.

I have found several old pictures showing Oiwake village in late 19^th century. The former waki-honjin named Yuya 油屋 was a hotel in 1939 and has now been replaced by a more modern building still functioning as an hotel. Nothing remains of the former honjin, except an imposing gate.