was the forty-second of the sixty-nine post towns on the

Nakasendō The , also called the ,Richard Lane, ''Images from the Floating World'' (1978) Chartwell, Secaucus ; pg. 285 was one of the centrally administered Edo Five Routes, five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected the ''de facto'' ...

. It is located in

Nagiso is a town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 4,111 in 1751 households, and a population density of 19 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Nagiso is listed as one of The Most Beautiful Vil ...

, Kiso District,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It has been restored to its appearance as an

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

-era

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

and is now a popular tourist destination.

History

During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, Tsumago was the forty-second of the sixty-nine post towns, which connected

(present-day

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

) with

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. Prior to becoming part of the Nakasendō, it was the tenth of eleven

stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle stat ...

along the

Kisoji The was an old trade route in the Kiso Valley that stretched from Niekawa-juku in Nagano Prefecture to Magome-juku in Gifu Prefecture. The route featured eleven post towns, all of which were later incorporated into the Nakasendō when it was esta ...

, a minor trade route running through the

Kiso Valley The is a geographical area that centers on the valley of the upper portions of the Kiso River in the southwestern part of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It is a v-shaped valley with length of approximately 60 km (36 mi) that follows the ...

. As such, it was a relatively prosperous and cosmopolitan town, with an economy based on currency. In 1968, local residents began an effort to restore historical sites and structures within the town. By 1971, some 20 houses had been restored, and a charter was agreed to the effect that no place in Tsumago should be "sold, hired out, or destroyed". In 1976, the town was designated by the Japanese government as a Nationally Designated Architectural Preservation Site. Despite its historical appearance, however, Tsumago is fully inhabited, though with tourist shops as the town's main business.

Points of interest

Tsumago contains a number of interesting properties, including: *Tsumago-juku's former ''

honjin image:Ohara-juku01s3200.jpg, The ''honjin'' at Inaba Kaidō's Ōhara-shuku. is the Japanese word for an inn for government officials, generally located in post stations (''shukuba'') during the later part of the Edo period. Evolution of ''Honjin ...

'' and Okuya, the ''waki-honjin'', are both open to visitors today. The ''honjin'', which was the main inn of the post town, was originally destroyed, but it was rebuilt in 1995. The original building of the ''waki-honjin'', which was the secondary inn, however, still remains and was named an Important Cultural Property in 2001.Tsumago-juku Honjin
. Nagiso Town. Accessed November 29, 2007. *The Nagiso Museum of History (歴史資料館) contains information on the areas history, the preservation of row houses and data about row houses throughout the country. *Kabuto Kannon Shrine (かぶと観音) is a small shrine dedicated to

Minamoto no Yoshinaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai lord mentioned in the epic poem '' The Tale of the Heike.'' A member of the Minamoto clan, he was a cousin and later rival of ''shogun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and t ...

, the "General of the Rising Sun," who built a citadel at Tsumago. The shrine was built around 1180. *Tsumago Castle (妻籠城) is nothing but a few ruins today. During the Edo period, however, its mountaintop location gave it wonderful views of both Tsumago-juku and

Midono-juku was the forty-first of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō, as well as the ninth of eleven stations on the Kisoji. It is located in the present-day town of Nagiso, in the Kiso District of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It was originally written ...

. It served as the site of a large battle in 1584 and was dismantled in the early 17th century, as a result of the

Genna was a coming after ''Keichō'' and before ''Kan'ei.'' This period spanned the years from July 1615 to February 1624. The reigning emperor was . It is also known as ''Genwa''. Change of era * 1615 : The era name was changed to mark the enthr ...

era's "one country, one castle" rule. *Rurisan Kōtoku-ji Temple (光徳寺), with its white walls and stone base, rises one story above the area's buildings. Founded in 1500, its main deity was added in 1599, and is notable for its

Nightingale floor ' are floors that make a squeaking sound when walked upon. These floors were used in the hallways of some temples and palaces, the most famous example being Nijō Castle, in Kyoto, Japan. Dry boards naturally creak under pressure, but these f ...

s and a 500-year-old weeping cherry tree out front. Perhaps its most interesting aspect, however, is the restored row of houses along the former post road. Most were houses built for common people in the mid-18th century, with shops and inns for travelers along the Nakasendō. A quiet portion of the original highway has been preserved between Tsumago and Magome, the next post town (also restored). It provides for a pleasant walk through the forests and past a waterfall. Also, so guests do not have to walk the path twice to return to the beginning of the hike, bus service is provided between the two ends of the road.Tsumago-juku
. Tsumago Sightseeing Association. Accessed July 10, 2007. File:Tsumago 2009 17.JPG, Resting station for higher guests such as daimyō File:150606 Tsumago-juku Nagiso Nagano pref Japan18n.jpg, Okuya, the ''waki-honjin'' File:150606 Tsumago-juku Nagiso Nagano pref Japan24n.jpg, The Nagiso Museum of History File:Tsumago 2009 15.JPG, Old school building File:Tsumago 2009 18.JPG, Rurisan Kōtoku-ji Temple File:150606 Tsumago-juku Nagiso Nagano pref Japan44n.jpg, Terashita street

Neighboring post towns

;Nakasendō & Kisoji :

- Tsumago-juku -

Magome-juku was the forty-third of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō connecting Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. It is located in former Mino Province in what is now part of the city of Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was also the las ...

Access

Tsumago sits at the south end of the Kiso District at the juncture of Routes 19 and 256. It can also be reached via a nearby railway station at the town of

on the

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

References

External links