April to May is the time of year when the vitality of plants and trees is noticeable.
This article was more of an introduction to the plants than to the buildings and stone monuments along the road.
Misayamagodo Ichirizuka was a zelkova tree about 400 years old.
Tsutsugi-juku
Barbarea vulgaris
Less than two kilometers south of Shinano Sakai Station, I found barbarea vulgaris!
It is yellow and conspicuous. Since it is a member of the brassicaceae family, it has four petals in a cross shape.
Recently, I finally realized that there are many cruciferous vegetables such as radish, cabbage, and broccoli. I wonder if we can eat Barbarea vulgaris. I’m not going to eat them today.
Kerria
I found a Kerria right near the barbarea vulgaris!
This is a single-flowered one, so it will probably bear fruit. This is the type of kerria that we can’t offer to the Oota Dokan.
(When Ota Dokan, the builder of Edo Castle, encountered sudden rain, he tried to borrow a raincoat (mino) from a nearby house. The girl who came out tried to tell him with a double-layered kerria (double-layered kerria has no fruit, and is called “no mino”) that she had no raincoat, likening it to an ancient song. However, Ota Dokan did not care for it.)
Corydalis incisa
Just before I reached the Koshu Kaido. I found a corydalis incisa!
It is a poisonous plant in the buttercup poppy family. The shape of the leaf looks like a dropwort, so I had to be careful.
Gate of Honjin Osaka-ya
After reaching Koshu Kaido (National Highway Route 20), I started walking northwest and soon found the gate of Honjin Osakaya!
The gate of Honjin Osakaya was still intact. But the building of the camp was moved to a new location and is no longer there.
Cercis
About 100 meters from the gate of the main camp, I found cercis!
The flowers seem to be blooming directly from the thick branches. The shape of the buds is very leguminous.
Stone Monument of Masugata Road Site
There was a stone monument at the site of this Masugata Road. From here, I left Route 20 and entered the Masugata Road.
I think it is quite rare to find a post town with a Masugata road. Perhaps it is because the Tsutagi-juku consists of a straight road less than 500 meters long, but there seems to have been a Masugata on the east and west sides.
About 2.5 km from Masugata, you will reach Ochiai. The name Ochiai means the confluence of rivers. Near Ochiai, the Kamanashi River flows from the west, the Tachi River from the north, and the Yanosawa River from the northeast.
Longleaf pine
In that ochiai, I found a beautiful pine tree! Is it a longleaf pine? It looks like a cheerleader’s bonbon.
Shortly after that, I came to the Yanosawa River. I found four deer on the left bank of the Yanosawa River. It was the first time I had ever seen deer in the wild, so I had no idea what was going on. I had never seen deer in the wild before, so I didn’t know what was going on. By the time I realized what was happening, the deer had fled, and I couldn’t take any pictures.
Wild monkey
After leaving Route 20 and crossing the Tatsuba River, we soon split off from the national highway and entered a little mountain road. This time, I found a wild monkey! In the center of the white circle in the photo, you can see a monkey looking to the right. Can you see it?
Stump of cedar
In the mountains, there was a freshly cut cedar stump that was dripping sap at a rate of two drops per second. It looked like it was suffering, which was a little painful. But this sap may turn into amber in the distant future, and be highly prized.
Choshu Ichirizuka
I found Choshu Ichirizuka! There were cherry blossoms by the monument, and it looked like spring was in full bloom.
Pasqueflower
I found a pasqueflower! The white hairs and the color tone are beautiful, like a painting. This grass is also a poisonous plant in the buttercup family.
Kanazawa-juku
Misayamagodo Ichirizuka
An hour after Choshu Ichirizuka, we found Misayamagodo Ichirizuka!
This majestic tree is said to be a zelkova that is about 400 years old. In my opinion, it is the most magnificent Ichirizuka on the Koshu Kaido. I took a break and looked at it for about five minutes.
The Ichirizuka of Misakiyama-Kobe is 48 ri from Nihonbashi (some say 49 ri).
Chino station
After that, I walked to Chino station and finished.
Walking data
Course：JR Chuo line Shinano Sakai -> Tsutsugi-juku -> Kanazawa-juku -> JR Chuo line Chino
Distance: 22.8km
Time: 6h44m
