I did a terrible thing.
Instead of following the Koshu Kaido in order, I saw the end of the road (where it joins the Nakasendo) first.
Kanazawa-juku
Aino-juku Chino Village
Stone monument of ubazuka burial mound
I got off the train at Chino Station and went down the stairs to the station, where I found a stone monument to the Ubazuka burial mound. It was the remains of a round tomb built at the end of the 8th century.
Chino Station
Photographing the station name. The ubazuka burial mound stone monument was close enough to the station that I noticed it before I photographed the station building.
Signposts and night lights
About a 2.5km walk from the station, there is a dense cluster of signposts and night lights. I wonder if they were gathered in one place for management convenience.
I wonder if the signposts say “right Edo way.”
Kamisuwa-juku
Shigagodo Ichirizuka
There was a village mound. It is called Shigagodo Ichirizuka and is 51 ri from Edo. The pointy shape of the head is similar to that of Ohkunugi-iri-zuka, which is 18 miles away. I wonder if it was designed by the same person, as it would be unnoticeable from such a distance.
Night light and a signpost
It is also a combination of an everlasting night light and a signpost. It’s the same pattern as before. I can’t read what is written on the signpost here.
Ashinaga Shrine (Shrine for long legs)
It’s a shrine for long legs. I want to get longer legs too!
If I climb these amazing stone steps, will I be blessed and my legs will become longer? But I didn’t climb them because I didn’t want my feet to hurt.
Yamada Apiary
Beekeeping goods are displayed at the storefront of Yamada Apiary.
I have an image that honeybees make a beautiful honeycomb structure all over the frame, but I wonder if Japanese honeybees make a structure where round shapes gather.
By the way, they have nothing to do with Yamada Apiary Co. in Okayama.
remains of Mushi-yu
The name “Mushi-yu (insect bath)” sounds like it might make you itchy just hearing it. However, it was also called “Mushi-yu (steam bath)”. On a cold winter’s day in Kamisuwa, it may have looked as if people were being steamed as the steam gushed out of it.
Yoshida pine
This is Yoshida pine, estimated to be less than 300 years old. The characteristic of this pine is that the bark is dark all the way to the end, and the lower bark is cracked like a tortoise shell. But I can’t see either of them in this photo. I’m sorry.
52nd Ichirizuka
This is the site of the 52nd Ichirizuka, located near Kamisuwa. The building was cut down and carefully maintained.
Shomosuwa-juku
Genki Morizo
I found “Genki Morizo.” If you look closely, you can see that the post is set in the mouth area and the eyes are two up.
He was born on July 23, 2011, which means he is not yet one year old. It seems that Japan Post took the initiative to create this product, as Fumi no Hi is its birthday. It’s nice to have a sense of fun.
Hashimoto Masaya
Across the street from Genki Morizou, there was a Japanese house called “Hashimoto Masaya”. As I was taking pictures of the house, the woman who owned it came up behind me and told me to take a look inside!
I didn’t ask for permission to post the photos here, so I won’t, but she showed me many museum-quality furnishings, including chests, sunken hearths, naginata, palanquins, naginata, traveling costumes, palanquins, tatami mats, impostors, and railings. Thank you very much.
Tonbe Ichirizuka
I thought it was the second Genki Morizou, but it was Tonbe Ichirizuka, the 53rd and the last ri of the Koshu Kaido. There are only 1,100 meters left of the Koshu Kaido.
Bridge stone of the Shouchi Bridge
This single stone is said to be the bridge stone of the Shouchi Bridge that spanned the Shouchi River. It is said to be made of pyroxene-andesite and weighs 13 tons.
According to the sign, when Takeda Shingen went to the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561, he promised to rebuild Suwa Daimyojin and build a three-story pagoda in the Sente Kannon Hall as a prayer for victory. However, the outcome of the war was not good. On his way back to Japan, his horse stopped moving when he crossed the bridge, and Shingen, realizing that the cause was the promise he had made earlier, said, “I understand what you have told me,” before returning home. This is said to be the origin of the “Shouchi River” and the “Shouchi Bridge.
Akimiya of the Lower Shrine
I visited Suwa-taisha Shrine for the first time in my life.
Suwa-taisha consists of four shrines, and this is the Akimiya of the Lower Shrine.
The deity worshipped at the lower shrine is Yasakatome no Kami. She is the consort of Takeminakata-no-kami, the deity of the Upper Shrine.
Takeminakata is the son of Okuninushi, the deity who opposed the transfer of the country to Suwa and lost in a contest of strength with Takemikazuchi no Kami, and fled to Suwa. I was deeply moved by the fact that the myth and the actual shrine are consistent.
Yes, I was surprised to see the hot spring water at the Akimiya Shrine.
The site of the former wholesale store at Shimosuwa-juku on the Nakasendo Highway, the last stop on the Koshu Road
The confluence of the Koshu-douchu and Nakasendo roads
I finally found the end of the Koshu Road (Koshu Kaido)! This is the meeting point of the Nakasendo.
But there are still some parts I haven’t walked yet, so I have to fill in the gaps from now on.
Shimosuwa Station
I’m going home from Shimosuwa Station.
Onbashira in front of Suwa Station
If you don’t have time to visit the shrine, you can get a little taste of the atmosphere of the shrine by looking at the pillars in front of the station.
Walking data
Course: JR Chuo Line Chino Station -> Kanazawa-juku -> Kamisuwa-juku -> Shimo-suwa-juku -> JR Chuo Line Shimosuwa Station
Distance: 16.9km
Time: 5h41m
