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9/10/2019

Sanin Kaido Highway

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. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .
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Sanin Kaido 山陰街道 Sanin Highway, San'in Highway
San'indō 山陰道 Sanin-Do, Sanindo / そとものみち Sotomono Michi
"in the shade of the mountains"

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- quote -
San'indō (山陰道) is a Japanese geographical term.
It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it.
San'in translates to "the shaded side of a mountain", while dō, depending on the context, can mean either a road, or a circuit, in the sense of delineating a region. This name derives from the idea that the northern side of the central mountain chain running through Honshū was the "shaded" side, while the southern side was the "sunny" (山陽 San'yō) side. The pre-modern region corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'in region.
The region was established as one of the 五畿七道 Gokishichidō (Five provinces and seven roads) (kinai shichidoo 畿内七道)
during the Asuka period (538-710), and consisted of the following eight ancient provinces: Tanba, Tango, Tajima, Inaba, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami and Oki. However, this system gradually disappeared in the centuries leading up to the Muromachi period (1333-1467).
The San'indō, however,
continued to be important, and highly trafficked through the Edo period (1603-1867). Running mostly east-west, its eastern terminus, along with those of most of the medieval highways (街道, kaidō), was at Kyoto. From there it followed the coast of the Sea of Japan to Hagi, near Shimonoseki, the western terminus of both the San'yōdō and the San'indō, and very near the westernmost end of the island of Honshū. Though the road originally terminated in the west at Hagi, the lords of Chōshū Domain at some point during the Edo period changed it to end at Yamaguchi.
As might be expected,
the road served an important strategic and logistical role in a number of military situations over the course of the years. Ashikaga Takauji in the 14th century, Akechi Mitsuhide in the 16th century, and many others used it to flee from conflict, to return to the core of the country (kinai), or to move troops. Many daimyōs also used this road as part of their mandatory journeys (sankin-kōtai) to Edo under the Tokugawa shogunate. Of course, the road also served the more everyday purpose of providing transport for merchants, traveling entertainers, pilgrims and other commoners.
Today, Route 9, the San'in Expressway, and the San'in Main Line of the West Japan Railway Company follow the approximate route of the San'indō.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Gokishichidō 五畿七道 Gokishichido - Five provinces and seven roads .
and
Nankaido 南海道 Southern Coast Route, Southern Sea Road

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- Postal stations along the road

三条大橋（京都府京都市東山区） - starting point - Kyoto Sanjo Ohashi Bridge
01 樫原宿（京都府京都市西京区）- Kataghara
02 亀山宿（京都府亀岡市 Kameoka city）- Kameyama
03 園部宿（京都府南丹市）- Sonobe
04 須知宿（京都府船井郡京丹波町）- Shuchi
05 檜山宿（京都府船井郡京丹波町）- Hinokiyama
06 菟原宿（京都府福知山市）- Ubara
07 福知山宿（京都府福知山市）- Fukuchiyama

08 和田山宿（兵庫県朝来市）- Wadayama - Hyogo
00 八鹿宿（兵庫県養父市）- Yoka
10 村岡宿（兵庫県美方郡香美町）- Muraoka

11 鳥取宿（鳥取県鳥取市）- Tottori
- - - - - branching off to the
- - - - - . Inaba Kaido 因幡街道 Inaba Highway .
12 母木宿（鳥取県鳥取市）- Hahaki
13 青屋宿（鳥取県鳥取市）- Aoya
14 泊宿（鳥取県東伯郡湯梨浜町）- Tomari
15 橋津宿（鳥取県東伯郡湯梨浜町）- Hashizu
16 長瀬宿（鳥取県東伯郡湯梨浜町）- Nagase
17 由良宿（鳥取県東伯郡北栄町）- Yura
18 八橋宿（鳥取県東伯郡琴浦町）- Yabase
19 赤崎宿（鳥取県東伯郡琴浦町）- Akasaki
20 下市宿（鳥取県西伯郡大山町）- Shimoichi
21 御来屋宿（鳥取県西伯郡大山町）- Mikuriya
22 淀江宿（鳥取県米子市）- Yodoe
23 米子宿（鳥取県米子市）- Yonago

24 安来宿（島根県安来市）- Yasugi - Shimane
25 出雲郷宿（島根県松江市）- Izumogo
26 松江宿（島根県松江市）- Matsue
27 宍道宿（島根県松江市）- Shinji
28 今市宿（島根県出雲市）- Imaichi
29 温泉津宿（島根県大田市）- Yunotsu

30 郷田宿（島根県江津市）- Goda
31 浜田宿（島根県浜田市）- Hamada
32 三隅宿（島根県浜田市）- Misumi
33 益田宿（島根県益田市）- Masuda
34 津和野宿（島根県鹿足郡津和野町）- Tsuwano

35 山口宿（山口県山口市）- Yamaguchi
36 小郡宿（山口県山口市）- Ogori

. Kameoka Kaido 亀岡街道 Kameoka Highway .
Connecting Osaka with 亀岡 Kameoka city in Tango.

. Sasayama Kaido 篠山街道 .
Connecting 亀岡 Kameoka with Wadayama 和田山.

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The part through Shimane is also called

山陰道伯耆街道 Hoki Kaido
Hoki Daisen is a famous mountain in the area.

. 伯耆大山清光坊 Hoki Daisen Seiko-Bo - Tengu .

This road was used for Sankin Kotai.

- - - - - Places to see on this road
松江城 Matsue Castle
松江大橋 Great Bridge at Matsue
塩楯 Shiotate - 手間天神 Tema Tenjin Shrine
阿太加夜神社 Adakaya Shrine
- - - - - . Adakaya Shrine Festival .

- reference -

因幡 - 伯耆のみち - 檮原街道 Inaba, Hōki / Hoki no Michi, Yusuhara Kaido
司馬遼太郎「街道をゆく」Ryōtarō Shiba Ryotaro

. The White Rabbit of Inaba 因幡の白兎 - Legend .

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- quote -
Tsuwano (津和野町 Tsuwano-chō) is a town located in Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture.
... Popularly called the "Little Kyoto of San-In," Tsuwano is known for its picturesque main street, "Tono-machi," which is lined with Edo-era buildings and Koi ponds. It also boasts one of the oldest still-used "Yabusame" (horse back archery) ranges in all of Japan, and its annual Yabusame festival on the second Sunday of April is a large tourist draw for the San-In region. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- quote -
He was first a retainer under the Amago clan of Izumo Province, but eventually became a daimyō in his own right.
... Receiving Shikano castle in Inaba Province as a reward for his notable service in 1578, Korenori ascended to higher rank as he assisted in Hideyoshi's 1587 invasion of Kyūshū. Interested in earning further fortunes in foreign trade, he requested to obtain lands in the coastal domains of Izumo Province, which possessed high quality harbors, in recognition of his past service against the Mōri and other clans of Kyūshū. However, his request was denied, as Izumo had already been given to the Mōri as a part of the truce agreements between the Mōri and Hideyoshi. Korenori then asked for the Ryukyu Islands instead; a paper fan inscribed with the date, Hideyoshi's signature, and the title "Kamei, Lord of Ryukyu" (亀井琉球の守, Kamei Ryūkyū no kami), found by Korean forces on a ship captured during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea serves as evidence that Hideyoshi at least nominally offered the post to Korenori. However, Hideyoshi had no rightful claim to the islands, which were at the time the independent Ryūkyū Kingdom. Korenori sent a small force to take control of the islands, but was blocked by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, who jealously guarded a special relationship, including exclusive trading rights, with the kingdom.
Korenori was thus unable to wield any actual claim or control over the islands, and following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following the Sekigahara Campaign of 1600, his income was raised from 13,000 to 43,000 koku as a reward for his service to the Tokugawa clan.
Korenori died of natural causes in 1612.
Korenori's descendants were eventually made daimyō (lords) of the Tsuwano Domain, which they ruled until the Meiji Restoration (1868).
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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9/08/2019

Noneyama Kaido Highway

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. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .
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Noneyama Kaido 野根山街道 Noneyama Highway
Kochi 高知県
From 奈半利町 Nahari town via the Noneyama mountains to 東洋町野根 Toyo town, None.
About 35 km, now a mountain ridge path with many historical sights.
It is one of the best remains of the atmosphere of an old highway.

also called
宿屋杉のみち Yadoyasugi no michi

岩佐関所のみち Iwasa Sekisho no michi

甲浦ポンカンのみち Kannoura ponkan no michi

Along the road are still many ichirizuka 一里塚 and gorizuka 五里塚 one mile and five mile markers.
Many travelers spent the night at
Yadoya Sugi 宿屋杉 "cedar tree inn".
For 参勤交代 Sankin Kotai there were various stops:
朝休み場 Asa-yasumiba, お茶屋場, O-Chayaba, shiki-ishi 敷石 stones at the pass 装束峠 Shozoku Toge
岩佐の関所跡 Iwasa no Sekisho ato - remains of the Barrier at Iwasa

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宿屋杉のみち Yadoyasugi no michi - 18,8 km
road of the Cedar tree serving as an inn

This old cedar tree of more than 1000 years was destroyed during the typhoon in 1934.
It used to have a circumference of about 16 m and was 32 m high.
Even now people can spend the night in its cavities.

Nearby is also a sanrizuka 三里塚 mile marker of 3 miles.

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the pass 熊笹峠 Kumazasa Toge

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岩佐関所のみち Iwasa Sekisho no michi - 16,8 km

In former times there was a barrier at 岩佐村 Iwasa village.
There are the remains of the estate of the Kinoshita family and the grave of 木下由里 Kinoshita Yuri.
The legend about Yuri is told below.

Emperor 土御門上皇 Tsuchimikado (1196 - 1231) named 岩佐の清水 the clear water at Iwasa.

- and also on the way are

地蔵峠 Jizo Toge pass
五里塚 Gorizuka
一の門 Ichinomon
四郎ヶ野峠 Shirogane Toge pass
二本松 Nihonmatsu
野根川橋 Nonekawabashi bridge

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甲浦ポンカンのみち Kannoura ponkan no michi - 2,5 km

The harbour 甲浦港 Kannoura and the coastline of Shirahama 白浜海岸 are well worth a visit.
Kannoura is famous for its ponkan ポンカン ponkan mandarin ('Chinese Honey Orange') - Citrus reticulata.
Ponkan is now probably the most widely-grown mandarin in the world. The fruit is rather large for a mandarin.
This road continues to 徳島 Tokushima and the road 水床探求のみち　Mitoko Tankyu no Michi.

- reference source : 水床探求の道 -

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- reference : pref.kochi ... Shikoku no Michi
- reference : 古道歩き -
- reference : Yamareco -
- reference : HWAC Hiroshima -
-further reference -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Kochi 高知県
安芸郡 Aki district 奈半利町 Nahari town

kosodate yuurei 子育て幽霊 a ghost nursing the baby
Once upon a time a woman named 由里 Yuri married into the family of the shooya 庄屋 village headman and soon a baby was born. The woman became ill with a lung disease and was sent back to her family, where she died.
From then on, every night they heard the sound of someone knocking on the main gate, calling the name of the child. Then the baby heard the voice, it woke up and begun to make the movements of drinking from mother's breast. This went on for a long time.
The villagers thought that Yuri had come back nursing her child after all.

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. inoshishi 猪と伝説 Legends about the wild boar, .
Once a mountain forest worker was on his way home when he observed a wolf and a wild boar fighting and biting each other.
When he passed the same spot next morning, there were only the bones of both animals, they had eaten each other to the last bite of the flesh and the bones were still biting.

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. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢 - racoon dog, badger legends .
There came a 参勤交代 Sankin Kotai procession somewhat out of season and the villagers got suspicious. One of them called out "I can see your tail" and then the old Tanuki showed their real features. The villagers later told the Tanuki that the real procession was coming soon. The Tanuki appeared again, was called out and then the Samurai killed him.

. sankin kootai 参勤交代 Sankin Kotai Daimyo attendance in Edo .
- daimyō gyōretsu 大名行列　Daimyo procession to and from Edo

- - - - -

warai tsuga 笑い栂 laughing Tsuga tree
Around 1850 a woodcutter on his way to the mountain forest heard a voice calling:
"I'm deep in the mountain!"
He became afraid and fled downhill, taking a break under a tree. There he heard a loud voice laughing up in the tree, so he ran home as fast as he could. When he came home all his toes were cut off.
Since then this tree is called "the laughing Tsuga tree".

tsuga no ki 栂の木 Tsuga tree (Tsuga sieboldii)

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

野根山街道の民話 by 前田年雄 Maedo Toshio

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9/06/2019

Mitsu Kaido Highway

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. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .
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Mitsu Kaido 三津街道 Mitsu Highway
From Ehime, Matsuyama castle (松山市大手町 Matsuyama Otemachi) to 三津浜 Mitsuhama beach.

Now National Route Nr. 19 - 松山港線 Matsuyama Kosen - Matsuyama harbour road / about 10 km long.
三津港 Mitsuminato harbour / 三津浜 Mitsuhama beach
Passing 梅津寺町 Baishinji town and 高浜町 Takahama town.

- quote -
Matsuyama was in medieval times part of the Iyo-Matsuyama Domain, a fiefdom of Iyo Province consisting mainly of a castle town, supporting Matsuyama Castle. There was a nearby village at Dōgo Onsen to the east and a port somewhat farther to the west at Mitsuhama providing a link to the Japanese mainland (Honshū) and Kyūshū.
Mitsuhama (三津浜), formerly also known as Mitsugahama, is the main port of Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan.
In October, 1888, the Iyotetsu light railway line connecting Mitsuhama with Matsuyama began operation.
Mitsuhama absorbed the village of Furumitsu in 1925 and Shinhama in 1937.
In 1940 Mitsuhama was merged into the city of Matsuyama.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- quote -
Matsuyama (松山市 Matsuyama-shi)
is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city,
The city is known for its hot springs (onsen), among the oldest in Japan, and is home to the Dōgo Onsen Honkan, a Meiji Period wooden public bathhouse dating from 1894.[A second favorite tourist spot is Matsuyama Castle. Eight of the eighty-eight temples in the Shikoku Pilgrimage are in Matsuyama.
In the 17th century, the lord of Matsuyama castle Sadayuki Matsudaira (松平定行) introduced the process of tart-making, originally brought to Japan by the Portuguese, to Matsuyama. At first it was a Castella with jam. According to legend Sadayuki made some changes, such as adding red bean paste. Now there are many kinds and makers of tarts in Matsuyama; some add yuzu paste or chestnut to the red bean paste.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Once upon a time
there was a small pond near 北が森 / 北ヶ森 Kitagamori.

There lived a red Donko and a black Donko of about three feet.
One day an エンコ Enko (Kappa) from 三津が浜 Mitsugahama came to catch them and wanted to eat them at home. On his way there was a daija 大蛇 huge serpent on the way and asked the Donko, where it was going.
The Donko replied "I am going to be grilled when we come to his home!"
When the Enko realized his intentions were known, he became full of fear, let the fish free in their pond at Kitagamori and run away in fear.

. Enko エンコ Kappa from Shikoku .
. daija, orochi 大蛇 huge serpent, great snake legends .

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伊予郡 Iyo district 砥部町 Tobe town

At 底なし沼ドンコが池 the Donko Pond without a bottom there lived a huge Donko.
One day he showed his back while relaxing, so a man caught him and carried him over the pass road. There was nobody else but suddenly he heard a voice:
"Hey, Donko, my friend, where are you going?" The Donko replied:"I am going to be grilled when we come to his home!"
The man was quite surprized, let the fish go and run home as fast as he could.

The same story is told at 喜多郡 Kita district 内子町 Uchiko town
In the pond behind the temple lived a Donko.

The same story is told at 大洲市 Ozu city 肱川町 Hijikawa town
Here the Donko lived in the river pool of the demons 魔の淵.

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京都府 Kyoto

Donba ドンバ is another name for the Kappa, it seems.
The name was also used for the dark sleeper fish, who lived deep down in a pond or swamp. He sometimes pulled swimming children down by their legs.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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- - - - - H A I K U and S E N R Y U - - - - -

気車戻る三津街道や朧月
kisha modoru Mitsu Kaido ya oborozuki

the train comes back
on the old Mitsu Kaido -
hazy moon
. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 and 松山 Matsuyama .

. oborozuki 朧月 hazy moon .
- - kigo for Spring - -

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9/04/2019

Mikuni Kaido Highway

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .
- Shimizu Kaido, see below
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Mikuni Kaido, Mikuni Kaidō 三国街道 / 三國街道 Mikuni Highway
from Echigo, Niigata to Gunma, crossing the Mikuni Sanmyaku 三国山脈 Mikuni Mountain range,
with 三国山 Mount Mikuni, 1,636 m as its highest peak.
Now mostly National Route 17

The road was used by the ambitious warlord
. Uesugi Kenshin Kagetora 上杉謙信(景虎) (1530 - 1578) .
The Dragon of Echigo, on this many war expeditions in the Kanto area.
Another road was the Shimizu Kaido, see below.

- quote
an ancient highway in Japan that stretched from Takasaki-juku (present day Gunma Prefecture) on the Nakasendō
to Teradomari-juku (present day Niigata Prefecture) on the Hokurikudō.
- History
The Mikuni Pass separated the Kantō region from Echigo Province in ancient Japan. As such, it has long been used as a major transportation hub for travelers going between those two areas. During the Edo period, the Mikuni Kaidō was established with the purpose of helping daimyō who were participating in sankin kōtai, which required daimyō to spend a portion of their time in Edo.
In 1902, the Shin'etsu Main Line was built, the first train line through the area. As a result, the economies of many of the post towns began to falter. However, the area between Nagaoka and Yuzawa was able to continue to flourish because the flat land allowed them to pursue agriculture. The area across the Mikuni Pass, however, received very little traffic.
In 1953, as cars became more common, so did long-distance transport, which led to a great rise in traffic in the area. However, for cars traveling between the Kantō and Echigo regions, it was very inconvenient to take the same detour as the train line, so the prefecture began major repair and construction work along the Mikuni Kaidō.
- source : wikipedia

- - - - - There are 35 post stations along the Mikuni Kaidō.
Gunma Prefecture
1. Takasaki-shuku (高崎宿) (Takasaki) (starting location)
- - . Takasaki Daruma 高崎達磨 .
2. Kaneko-shuku (金古宿) (Takasaki)

3. Shibukawa-shuku (渋川宿) (Shibukawa)
- branching off to the
. Sado Bugyo Kaido 佐渡奉行街道 Road for the Governor of Sado Island .
4. Kanai-shuku (金井宿) (Shibukawa)
5. Kitamoku-shuku (北牧宿) (Shibukawa)
6. Yokobori-shuku (横堀宿) (Shibukawa)
7. Nakayama-shuku (中山宿) (Takayama, Agatsuma District)
8. Tsukahara-shuku (塚原宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
9. Shimoshinda-shuku (下新田宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
10. Fuse-shuku (布施宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
11. Ima-shuku (今宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
12. Sukawa-shuku (須川宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
13. Aimata-shuku (相俣宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
14. Sarugakyō-shuku (猿ヶ京宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
15. Fukuro-shuku (吹路宿) (Minakami, Tone District)
16. Nagai-shuku (永井宿) (Minakami, Tone District)

Niigata Prefecture
17. Asagai-shuku (浅貝宿) (Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma District)
18. Futai-shuku (二居宿) (Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma District)
19. Mitsumata-shuku (三俣宿) (Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma District)
20. Yuzawa-shuku (湯沢宿) (Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma District)
21. Seki-shuku (関宿) (Minamiuonuma)
22. Shiozawa-shuku (塩沢宿) (Minamiuonuma)
23. Muikamachi-shuku (六日町宿) (Minamiuonuma)
24. Itsukamachi-shuku (五日町宿) (Minamiuonuma)
25. Urasa-shuku (浦佐宿) (Minamiuonuma)
26. Horinouchi-shuku (堀之内宿) (Uonuma)
27. Kawaguichi-shuku (川口宿) (Nagaoka)
28. Myōken-shuku (妙見宿) (Nagaoka)
29. Muikaichi-shuku (六日市宿) (Nagaoka)
30. Nagaoka-shuku (長岡宿) (Nagaoka)
31. Yoita-shuku (与板宿) (Nagaoka)
32. Jizōdō-shuku (地蔵堂宿) (Tsubame)
33. Sekinakashima-shuku (関中島宿) (Tsubame)
34. Watabe-shuku (渡部宿) (Tsubame)
35. Teradomari-shuku (寺泊宿) (Nagaoka) (ending location)

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Mikuni sanmyaku 三国山脈 Mikuni Mountain range

Mikuni tooge 三国峠 Mikuni pass

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Mikuni Gongen 三国権現 Shrine 三坂神社 Misaka Jinja

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Yuzawa (湯沢町 Yuzawa-machi) is a town located in Niigata Prefecture
- - - - - History
The area of present-day Yuzawa was part of ancient Echigo Province.
The villages of Yuzawa, Futai (二居村 Futai-mura), Asakai (浅貝村 Asakai-mura), Kandatsu (神立村 Kandatsu-mura), Tsuchidaru (土樽村 Tsuchidaru-mura), and Mitsumata (三俣村 Mitsumata-mura) were created on 1 April 1889 as part of the modern municipalities system.
On 1 November 1901, Futai and Asakai merged to become the village of Mikuni (三国村 Mikuni-mura). Yuzawa, Mikuni, Kandatsu, Tsuchidaru, and Mitsumata merged on 1 April 1955 to become the town of Yuzawa. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Uonuma (魚沼市 Uonuma-shi) is a city located in Niigata Prefecture.
- - - - - History
The area of present-day Uonuma was part of ancient Echigo Province, with the name of Uonuma appearing in the 続日本紀 Shoku Nihongi in an entry dated 702 AD.
During the Edo period, the area was largely tenryō territory administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate or part of the holdings of Aizu Domain. The area was greatly affected by the Tenpō famine of 1835-1837.
After the Meiji restoration, the area was organised as part of Kitauonuma District, Niigata with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The modern city of Uonuma was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Horinouchi and Koide, and the villages of Hirokami, Irihirose, Sumon and Yunotani (all from Kitauonuma District).
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Nagaoka (長岡市 Nagaoka-shi) is a city located in Niigata Prefecture.
Nagaoka is in the center of Niigata prefecture and the surrounding Chūetsu region of Japan
- - - - - History
The area of present-day Nagaoka was part of ancient Echigo Province.
Under the Tokugawa shogunate, a castle town was constructed by Hori Naoyori lord of Nagaoka Domain in 1616. However, as the initial castle was located in an area prone to flooding by the Shinano River, a new castle was built at the site of present-day Nagaoka Station in 1617. Nagaoka flourished as under the reign of the 13 generations of the Makino clan during the Edo period. In the Boshin War of 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, Nagaoka Domain was a member of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei against the imperial forces, and the city was reduced to rubble during the Battle of Hokuetsu. A gift of one hundred sacks of rice from a neighboring province was sold to finance a new school during the reconstruction of Nagaoka, from which the anecdote of Kome Hyappyo was born. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Shimizu Kaido, Shimizu Kaidō 清水街道 Shimizu Highway
From 群馬県みなかみ町 Minakami town in Gunma to 潟県南魚新沼市 Minami-Uonuma city in Niigata, as the border of 上越国境 Joetsu no Kuni.
(The name 清水 is not read Kiyomizu.)

A war road crossing the Shimizu Toge 清水峠 Shimizu Toge Pass.
Its highest point is 1,448 m, on the 谷川連峰 Tanigawa mountain range.
Crossing this mountain range was also called
Sugugoe, Sugu-goe 「直越」（すぐごえ） "the short crossing"
a direct, but very narrow pass in former times, as opposed to the longer, easier road of Mikuni Kaido.

Shimizu tooge 清水峠 Shimizu pass

- Deity in residence
味耜高彦根命 Ajisugita Takahikone no Mikami

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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- - - - - H A I K U and S E N R Y U - - - - -

桑を解く三国旧道瞽女轍

松川洋酔 Matsukawa Yosui

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9/01/2019

Yonezawa Kotaki Kaido highways

The official road for Sankin Kotai.
Connecting Aizu Wakamatsu with Yonezawa city.

. Aizu Kaidoo 会津街道 Aizu Kaido .
Also called
Yonezawa Kaido 米沢街道 Yonezawa Trade Road
when the traveller started from Yonezawa city.

This highway is also connectet to the
. Ushū Kaidō 羽州街道 Ushu Highway .

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Yonezawa (米沢市 Yonezawa-shi) is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Yonezawa is most famous for its local delicacies (apples, yonezawa beef, and carp) and for being a castle town that was once home to the Uesugi clan, including the daimyō Uesugi Yozan.
The area of present-day Yonezawa was part of ancient Dewa Province and was controlled in the Sengoku period by the Date clan. The famed warlord Date Masamune was born in Yonezawa. During the Edo period, the area became Yonezawa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate, ruled by the Uesugi clan. After the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized into Minamiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The modern city of Yamagata was established on April 1, 1889. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Kotaki Kaido 小滝街道 Kotaki Highway
A waki kaido side road from the Yonezawa Kaido, Yamagata prefecture.

Connecting 山形 Yamagata city with 米沢 Yonezawa city. (and on to 新潟 Niigata)
Present-day highway Nr. 348 leads via 白鷹町 Shirataka town, 宮内 Miyauchi, 飯豊 Iide to 長井市 Nagai city.
This side-road was mostly used for the transport of goods. One important good was salt transported to
置賜 Okitama and the surrounding villages.
Dried fish and even 漆液 liquid lacquer was also transported along this road.
akinai no michi 商いの道 trade road
yama-ai no shiruku roodo 山あいのシルクロード "silk road in the mountains"

- Goods transported from Yonezawa
aoso あおそ / 青苧 hemp, kuwa 桑 mulberries, urushi 漆 laquer, kinu orimono 絹織物 silk cloth, 葉煙 tobacco leaves ...
- Goods transported from 長谷堂 Hasedo town along the Kotaki Kaido:
shio 塩 salt, shooyu 醤油 soy sauce, kome 米rice, 荏水油 egoma oil, hoshi-sakana 干魚 dried fish, daizu 大豆 soy beans, komugi 小麦 wheat and barley, benibana 紅花 safflowers, roosoku 蝋燭 candles, kinu-ito 絹糸 silk thread as well as cows, bulls and horses.
The wholesale dealers were much interested in keeping the road in a good condition and have good relations with the government officials at the checkpoints.

In Kotaki there was also a kuchidome bansho 口留番所 checkpoint.
This shows that the highway was of great important to the province governors.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

A road between the Yonezawa bonchi 米沢盆地 plane, Okitama bonchi 置賜盆地 plane
and the 村山地方 Murayama area.

The pass 小滝峠 Kotaki Toge (600m) is now crossed via a tunnel.

On the way is the waterfall くぐり滝 Kuguri Taki.

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Hasedo Joseki 長谷堂城跡 remains of Hasedo castle

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The siege of Hasedō 長谷堂城の戦い
was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū (the Tōhoku region) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari further south. Over the course of the year 1600, Naoe Kanetsugu, a general loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by Shimura Takaharu, and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the Date clan.
Three thousand of Naoe's men
moved towards Yamagata from the north while Naoe began his siege on Hasedō. Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200 arquebusiers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before an army under Rusu Masakage arrived to relieve the castle. Upon the arrival of the Date forces, Naoe stepped up his siege, and the vanguard under Kasuga Mototada actually reached the walls of the castle before they retreated before arquebuse fire. The garrison then sallied forth and attacked the retreating vanguard in the rear, leading to the near-complete retreat of Naoe's forces.
A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general Kamiizumi Yasutsuna was killed. Shortly afterwards, however, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to Yonezawa, putting an end to his campaigns in the north.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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This old road was already used in the Heian period by the mendicant priest
. 西行法師 Saigyo Hoshi (1118年 - 1190) .
At his time, the pass on the Kotaki road was called 黒森峠 Kuromori Toge.

深き山に心の月しすみぬれば
鏡に四方の悟りをぞ見る
fukaki yama ni kokoro no tsuki shi suminureba
kagami ni yomo no satori o zo miru

Deep within the mountains
the mind's moon
shines so bright.
It's light mirrors all things
like the enlightened mind.

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Yamagata (山形市 Yamagata-shi)
is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.
The area of present-day Yamagata was part of Dewa Province.
During the Edo period, it was the center of Yamagata Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The modern city of Yamagata was founded on April 1, 1889 as the capital of Yamagata Prefecture....
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Nanyo (南陽市 Nan'yō-shi)
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. As of October 2015,
... The area of present-day Nan'yo was part of ancient Dewa Province.
After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Higashiokitama (Higashi-Okitama 東置賜)　 District, Yamagata Prefecture. The modern city of Nan'yo was established on April 1, 1967 by the merger of the former towns of Miyauchi and Akayu with the village of Wagō (和郷村 Wago).
Akayu 赤湯町 is famous for its hot springs, cherries and hang gliding and includes the former village of Nakagawa.
Miyauchi 宮内町 is famous for its chrysanthemum festival and the Kumano-taisha Shrine, and includes the former villages of 漆山　Urushiyama, 吉野　Yoshino, and 金山　Kaneyama.
The village of Wago was created in 1955 by the merger of the villages of Okigō　沖郷 and Ringō　梨郷.
The English travel-writer Isabella Bird visited Akayu in 1878 and wrote about the town in Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. The city is named after Nanyang, China, where according to legend a chrysanthemum spring can make drinkers immortal....
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Yamagata 山形県

Inari sama 稲荷様 Inari fox deity
Walking along the 小滝街道 Kotaki Kaido toward 富ノ中 Tominoju, there is a place called 「しらすば」Shirasuba.
The road becomes very narrow and
to the left is「しげだ」 Shigeda, the home of the 吉田家 Yoshida family with 地蔵様 a Jizo sama,
to the right is「しらすば」Shirasuba, the home of the 阿部家 Abe family with 稲荷様 an Inari sanctuary.
Jizo and Inari of them often meet secretly at night. If someone observes them during these visits, he will be cursed.

. 地蔵菩薩と狐と伝説 Legends about Jizo Bosatsu and kitsune Foxes .

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南陽市 Nanyo City

buyobuyo shita pinku iro no kaibutsu ブヨブヨしたピンク色の怪物 a pink flabby monster
A villager felt something strange and opened the door, when he saw a pink, flabby monster outside. Something like the arm of a starfish sneaked through the gap in the door and grabbed his neck. He was torn out of the house and died. Similar stories happened until the Meiji period.

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gairaago ガイラーゴ Gairaago
Gairaago looks like a frog, but is very feroucious. When it sees a person, he begins to shout ゲエッ geeee geee and pursues the human, then jumps on it.
Some say it is a toad monster of more than 10 m hight, sometimes coming down from the mountain and crushing the homes of people.
Gairago ガイラゴ
looks like a namekuji ナメクジ slug of about 1 meter long. It crawls around the river pool and when it sees a human it hides in the shade. It does not harm humans, it is very coward.
geerago ゲーラゴ a special frog monster
Another monster, like Gairago, living on trees. If a human passed below it, it falls down, clings to the neck and begins to suck blood.
It is about 20 cm long and shouts キーキー gii gii .
It does not have eyes but catches any sound. Its mouth is very large and has fangs.

. namekuji ナメクジ slug .

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Iwakura sama no rei 岩倉さまの霊 the spirit of Mister Iwakura
In the family of 大津清孝 Otsu Kiyotaka there is a photo of Mister Iwakura.
The daughter-in-law had tried yoosan 養蚕 to grow silk worms and worked very hard on it, but one morning she found something under the boards that looked like the scaled of a serpent.
When she told the neighbours about it, they said because she had been so diligent and serious with the silk worms, Mister Iwakura (the patron of local silk worms) had come.
On the photo there is something flimmering in the background of the room.

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. hebi densetsu 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
A monk who could not see well had been lost at night on the mountain road and spent the night in a cave. Because he felt lonely he begun to play his biwa 琵琶 lute. In no time a young woman appeared and asked for more music. He played a long sond and then asked who the lady might be. She said she was the local serpent, and also had some children. She said they were very hungry and to get food she would produce a flooding and then they can eat the villagers who have drowned.
When the monk came to the village next morning, they went out and found a dead serpent. She had died after telling her story to the monk and now the villagers built a small sanctuary for her.
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In Mokusawa town 杢沢 / 杢の沢 there is an old swamp called 沼の平 Numa no Daira. Once it rained for more than 10 days in the region and the villagers were in danger of flooding.
In this swamp lived a serpent, who might have called for the rain. The villagers consulted with others and then decided to throw a kanabo 金棒 metal stick into the swamp, to make the serpent go away. They went to a kajiya 鍛冶屋 blacksmith, had him make a large metal stick and threw it into the swamp. On this day, the rain stopped!

. Legends about kajiya　鍛冶屋 the blacksmith .

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. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
A man on his way home from a memorial serivce for a dead relative was carrying some presents, but was bewitched by a fox.
He went to the deep mountain forest, spread firewood like a bed and slept there. When he woke up he found that he had broken a rib bone.

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. Legends about the Gingko tree 銀杏 / ichoo no ki いちょうの木 - .

source : yamagata-clip.com/chinzoji...

oo icho no ki no sei 大いちょうの木の精 the spirit of the huge Gingko tree
At the Temple 珍蔵寺 Chinzo-Ji lived a priest who liked to drink. Since he needed money to buy Sake he thought of selling the huge Gingko tree in the temple compound.
That night a beautiful woman appeared in his dream and asked him with tears in her eyes not to cut down the tree.
So the priest did not have it cut down. In the dream the lady had told him her name was 「いちょう」 Ichoo, he was sure it must have been the spirit of this wonderful old tree.
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This temple is famous for the story about tsuru no on-gaeshi 鶴の恩返し
- The Gratitude of the Crane -

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

南陽市小滝街道の昔話 Kotaki Kaido no mukashibanashi
Article by 武田正 Takeda Tadashi
in the magazine 置賜の民俗　Okitama no Minzoku - Folk Lore from Okitama
置賜民俗学会
- reference source : yonezawanet.jp/okitama... -

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