Kisokaidô: Toriimoto - Station 63

Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Toriimoto (65th print) (Toriimoto)

© Trustees of the British Museum

Toriimoto took its name from the Shinto gate (torii) of the Grand Shrine of Taga (see next station Takamiya). This print is directly copied from the Kisoji Meisho Zue published in 1805 (see below). The road between Banba and Toriimoto goes through the low Surihachi-toge Pass where the two teahouses Bokodo (1) on the left and Rinkodo (2) on the right were located. These teahouses had a panoramic view over the Lake Biva and the distant Hira mountains and were considered suitable for high-ranking samurai to patronize as indicated by the elegant covered palanquin (3) ouside the Bokodo. The porters are waiting for the customers and discussing outside. A massive stone buttress (4) supports the teahouse. On a spit of land, in the middle distance is a fishing village, seen amidst pine trees. Behind it, in the middle of the Lake, is the sacred island of Chikubujima (5).

The gourd-shaped publisher’s seal (6) employs both the Take uchi 竹内 characters of Hoeido and the Kin 林 character of Kinjudo. It is probably the third print completed by Hiroshige after Takasaki (#13) and Karuizawa (#18). There is an error in the numeration of the print. The number (7) reads (六拾三) 63, but it is in fact the 64^th print. Banba is also numbered 63 and the next station is numbered 65. This error was never corrected.

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

Surihachi-toge pass at Toriimoto and the tea house Bokodo with the view over Biwa Lake in 1805 in "Kisoji Meisho Zue" or Illustrated album of the famous places along the Kiso road (1805)

Surihachi pass and its tea houses overlooking Biwa Lake, sketch by Hiroshige published in 1851

Going to Hikone (Hand colored picture 1895)

In the gardens of Hikone Castle

(Hand colored picture 1895)

In the gardens of Hikone Gardens (Picture ca.1880)

In the centre of Hikone in 1895

And now ?

We are at 465km/290 mi from Nihonbashi and there are less than 70km/44mi to go. Toriimoto was an important station at the junction of several roads and had one honjin and two waki-honjin. The two teahouses depicted in the print do not exist anymore, with Rinkodo burning to the ground in 1991. But the town has several old buildings, warehouses, inns and shops dating from the 19^th century. Several shops advertise waterproof capes with wooden signs, such as the one depicted in Nishijima’s print below. The waterproofing is obtained by brushing tannin from persimmon into the fabric. Persimmons grow well in this area and in the fall, the town is orange with the fruits drying under the eaves of the houses. One of these buildings is the famous pharmacy Akadama-Jinkyokan where herbal medicines against several types of illness are prepared since the 17^th century. It is still operating in a “new” building dating from 1877.

Toriimoto is now a section of Hikone city, famous for its castle. In the 16^th century, this was part of Ishida Mitsunari’s holdings with the nearby Sawayama Castle as main fortress. But after Ishida’s defeat at the Battle of Sekigahara, the territory was given to Ii Naomasa, a captain in Tokugawa’s army and the leader of the “Red Devils” (See Battle of Sekigahara). Sawayama Castle was in need of repair and Ii decided to build another one on the Hikone hill. It was completed by his son in 1615 and until recently was still within the Ii family. It is one of the few original castles left in Japan. It is not the largest, but possibly the most interesting as it has been very well preserved in its original state. From the top of the keep, the views over the Lake Biwa are superb. The best time to visit is in April when the cherry trees are blossoming.

The sacred island of Chikubu-jima is a wonderful excursion, where one can visit the numerous temples and shrines, especially the Shinto Tsukubusuma Shrine and the Hogon-ji Temple established in 724. It is one the three main temples of the Shingon School.