Kisokaidô: Kashiwabara - Station 60

Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 étapes of the Kisokaido: Station Kashiwabara (62nd print) (Kashiwabara)

© Trustees of the British Museum

Night has fallen and two pairs of porters (1) pause with their cargo in front of the famous Kameya (2) shop, purveyor of moxa and medicinal herbs. The shop whose name (亀屋)can be translated as “Turtle shop” has a varied business to judge from the signs advertising Kintoki rice cakes and sake and other refreshments. Inside the shop itself, a pair of travelers (3) rests on the edge of the raised floor, while behind them an attendant sells his wares. Another traveler approaches the owner (4) who is seated next to a large papier-mâché image of Fukusuke (5), a legendary figure of good fortune for merchants and protection for the houses. In an annex to the left, two men are seated on benches and beyond them a typical Japanese garden with its stone lantern (6) and a pond can be seen. A statue of Kintaro, the Golden Boy stands against the back wall. Kintaro is a folk hero from Japanese folklore, a child of superhuman strength, who after having defeated a monster, became a loyal follower of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a general living around 1000AD.

This print has not been modified.

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

Kawashibara, sketch by Hiroshige in Guide to Kisokaido (Kisoji Meisho zue) published in 1851 (source Waseda University, Tokyo)

3 examples of shops in 19th century: grocer ca. 1895

Fish shop ca.1880

Shoe shop ca.1890

And now ?

At 450km/282 mi from Edo, Kashiwabara is one of the oldest stations on the road, already mentioned in 11th century writings. It was also one of the longest with the row of houses lining the road for over a mile. Today, it is a section of Maibara city with many old buildings from the 18th or 19th century. Some have been renovated, but most are in dire needs of repairs. The Kameya drugstore still exists, but under a new name: Ibukido, referring to the nearby Mt.Ibuki. Kashiwabara is known for mugwort picked on the foothills of Mt.Ibuki and used for moxibustion. Moxibustion is a traditional medicine therapy where incandescent moxa (dried mugwort) is applied on meridian points as per acupuncture technique.

Kintarô, whose statue stands in the pharmacy is a popular hero and it is a custom to put up a Kintaro doll on Boy’s day (May 5th) in the hope that boys will become equally brave and strong. He is represented in many prints, such as the ones by Utamaro below, in mangas and in video games.