Kisokaidô: Nojiri - Station 40

Keizai Eisen - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Nojiri (41st print), Distant view of the bridge over the Ina-gawa river at Nojiri (Nojiri Inagawabashi enkei)

© Trustees of the British Museum

The Ina-gawa river flows into the Kiso river just before Nojiri. The steep wooden Ina bridge on its stone piers (1) which the travellers had to cross is at the center of the composition. Just after the bridge, the roofs of restaurants (2) are visible. On the left, in the mountain, the Iwade kannon Temple (3) can be seen on top of the steps. This temple was known as “The Kiyomisu temple of Kiso” in reference to Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto with its veranda supported by hundreds of tall wooden pillars that jut out over the hillside. Beneath the bridge span flies a skein of geese (4), the tail end of the formation disappearing into the sky. The bottom of the print is left white to figure the spray of the rapidly flowing Ina-gawa river.

The British Museum print shown here is an early edition. In subsequent printing, the geese and Eisen’s signature disappear. The mountains on the left side are simplified, becoming a simple cone resembling that of Mt.Fuji.

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

Nojiri: The bridge over Ina-gawa river

Iwade Kannon Temple, the Kiyomizu of Kiso

And now ?

Between Suhara and Nojiri, the road is narrow and the old road has been superseded by the national road, stuck between the river, the railway and the cliff with superb vistas over the rapids and the flowing river. A print by Hiroshige II shows how narrow the valley is under the snow, another one from Yoshida Hiroshi shows the currents and swirls in the river. With the building of dams and the regulation of the river flow, the water is higher and the rapids shown in the print have disappeared. The old bridge from Eisen’s print has now been replaced by a modern one, but the site is always spectacular. This station in the valley was nicknamed “nana-wari” or seven turns as it was very long and narrow, lining up the river meanders. Fires destroyed most of the buildings in 1791 and again in 1824. In 1843, only a small part of the station had been rebuilt and it was again destroyed in 1894. There were then 19 inns and one of them named “Niwadaya” is still operating.

Afer Nojiri, the small river Atera joins the Kiso. It is a wonderful walk along the Atera gorge with its clear water, pools, waterfalls and maple trees.....