Nakasendo
The
Nakasendō (中山") was one of two
Tokugawa-era roads connecting
Edo (modern-day
Tokyo) to
Kyoto in
Japan. Unlike the coastal
Tōkaidō;, the Nakasendō travelled inland, hence its name, which means "Road through the Central Mountains."
|
Original ishidatami (stone paving) on the Nakasendo Highway. |
In the early years of the
Edo period, many political, legal, cultural and intellectual changes took place. Among them was the rejuvenation of Japan's thousand year old highway system. Five roads were formally nominated as official routes for the use of the
shogun and the other
daimyo and to provide the
Tokugawa shogunate with the communications network that it needed to stabilize and rule the country. One of these five roads was the Nakasendō stretching from Kyoto through the central mountain ranges of
Honshū and on to
Edo, from where the shogun wielded the real power.
|
Along the Nakasendo between Tsumago and Magome. |
Although much of the Nakasendō no longer exists in its historic form, a few stretches remain and have been restored in recent decades. Perhaps the most famous section lies between
Magome and
Tsumago in the
Kiso Valley, made famous by the 19th century writer
Shimazaki Toson, who chronicled the effects of the
Meiji Restoration on the valley in his landmark novel
Yoake Mae ("Before the Dawn").
This section of the road can still be travelled along comfortably by foot, and both Tsumago and Magome have preserved their traditional architecture. It requires 2-3 hours to walk in either direction, with forests, restored paving in places, and fine views of waterfalls.
The poet
Matsuo Bashō also travelled along the Nakasendō.
The route is now roughly followed by
Route 8,
Route 21,
Route 19,
Route 142,
Route 18 and
Route 17.
