Day 33 - The Legend Of The Great Tengu, From Totsuka To Hodogaya Juku To Kanagawa, Walking The Tokaido Road In Japan
Day 33 - The Legend Of The Great Tengu, From Totsuka To Hodogaya Juku To Kanagawa, Walking The Tokaido Road In Japan
Now that we are nearing Nihonbashi in Tokyo, there are lots of signs explaining the history of the Tokaido Road along the way.
By now, I feel that we have already learned a lot about the Tokaido Road during our journey, and much of the signage has now become repetitive, explaining the post town systems and milestones.
We started early today, trying to get in as much walking time as we could before it started to rain in earnest.
As it turned out, we needed our raincoats and umbrellas all day long.
We returned to Higashi Totsuga, where we had stopped walking yesterday, and started our walk through a series of shopping malls to reach the Tokaido, which was on the top of the long hill that we had climbed yesterday.
We continued climbing a steep hill, called Gonta-Zaka.
We read a plaque which explained that this area was much more mountainous and the Tokaido much narrower than it is now, with a lot of tea houses for pilgrims to take a break from the strenuous climbing.
The Gonta-zaka (Gontazaka) hill, was known as the first difficult spot encountered by travelers ascending from Edo to the upper reaches.
The beautiful scenery of rows of pine trees by the side of the road was depicted in many ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
In 1884 a new road was constructed nearby and the railway was established in 1887 (Meiji period), so the volume of traffic on the old Tokaido road decreased, and the road narrowed, from lack of use.
There are two theories about how the Gontazaka hill got its original name "Gontasaka".
The first theory says:
"One day, a traveler asked an elderly farmer, who was working in the fields near this slope, what was the slope's name.
Thinking that the man was asking his own name, the farmer replied, "My name is Gonta," and so the slope took on that name.”
The second theory says that long ago, a man named Gonzaemon built a slope at the behest of the magistrate, and so it was named "Gonzasaka" after his own name, but at some point it came to be called "Gontazaka."
From Nihonbashi, Hodogaya-juku is the fourth post town.
Up until here, the Tokaido road was mostly flat, running along the bay in Edo, but once you crossed Motomachi Bridge to the west of the post town, the road began a long, steep uphill climb.
They say that the sea of Kanagawa, once very visible from above, was incredibly beautiful.
The pine tree-lined road of the post town of Hodogaya on the Tokaido road was also famously beautiful.
The history of lining roads with trees in Japan is long, dating back all the way to the Nara period (710-1185).
But it wasn't until the Edo period that it became a national initiative.
In 1604, the Tokugawa shogunate ordered that trees be planted along major roads in all the provinces.
Since then, the trees have been carefully protected by both the public and private sectors.
The pine tree-lined street of Hodogaya-juku stretched for about 3 km from here to Sakaiki.
The pine trees were in relatively good condition until the early Showa period, but then over time, they have decreased in number, and the last of the pines can now only be seen around Gonzasaka hill on the old Tokaido.
Restoration of the pine tree promenade and the mileposts were a local priority, because they are symbols of the old Tokaido road and thus part of the origins of the town.
The restoration was also necessary because they had widened National Route 1, and also did some river improvement work on the Imai River nearby, which required relocation of the mileposts.
When the mileposts were rebuilt, it was decided not to rebuild them in their original size of nine meters square, because they were no longer places that people used for resting anyway.
The Tokaido then started a long downhill into Hodogaya Juku, where we saw many pilgrims walking.
I can always recognize Tokaido walkers by their clothing, their backpacks and the fact that all of the Japanese walkers carry their Tokaido guidebooks in their hands or front pockets.
We stopped at a rest area manned by a friendly couple.
They offered toilets, tea and souvenirs of the Tokaido’s 53 stations.
I selected small pins with paintings of post towns printed on them.
I’m going to use them as decorations on the kimono artwork that I plan to create as a record of our Tokaido pilgrimage.
Hodogaya Juku had very good signage in Japanese, explaining where the merchant houses and the honjins (inns) used to be located.
We ate lunch in a casual French bistro.
The food was pretty good and it is always fun to rest and enjoy a long lunch, when you are not in a hurry.
By the time we left the bistro, the rain had intensified.
We arrived in Kanagawa juku, as the rain got much heavier.
Our ears were assaulted by huge loudspeakers, blasting slogans as part of a political demonstration.
I felt sorry for the people living in the area, who had to tolerate such noise so close to their homes.
Kanagawa-Juku was the third post town after leaving Nihonbashi.
The area was once a scenic spot, with hills overlooking the boats moored at the Kanagawa Port.
Kanagawa became famous after it served as the site of the Kanagawa Treaty, which was signed in 1854.
The Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty, was signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March 31, 1854.
It was signed under a threat of force, effectively ending Japan's
220-year-old policy of national seclusion. (The United States threatened to invade Japan if the Shogunate didn’t agree to open its borders)
The ports that were open for commerce were in Shimoda and Hakodate, and four years later, Kanagawa was designated as another port to be opened, but this was later changed to Yokohama.
We passed by a restaurant that was founded in 1863 by the Tanaka family, said to be the only restaurant in Kanagawa that has continued in operation since the bustling days of the Kanagawa-Juku.
Then we walked by the local Otsuna Konpira Shrine, that was founded at the end of the Heian period.
It was originally located on the mountain behind the current shrine grounds.
It was later moved to its current location.
It was deeply revered by sailors who came and went from the Kanagawa Port that once spread out below.
The shrine was also known for the legend of the Great Tengu.
The great Tengu is a powerful half-bird with a mischievous spirit, according to Japanese folklore.
The Tengu is often associated with specific mountains, the most famous example being Sōjōbō, which is linked to Mount Kurama in Kyoto.
The Tengu is often depicted as having a red face with a long nose and bird-like features, and is known for his martial arts skills and mischievous nature.
The image of Tokaido pilgrims walking with the Great Tengu’s red face and long nose on their backs, has fascinated me since I first saw it in miniature statues depicting life on the Tokaido during the Edo period.
Kanagawa station was our destination for the day.
A poet once wrote about Kanagawa-juku:
“As I continued walking, I came to Kanagawa, which has a beautiful atmosphere.
Houses are lined up on the side of the river.
There are tea houses with two-story tatami rooms, a corridor with a balustrade, and a fence to create a wave-like atmosphere to match the waves of the sea.
The view from the rooftop is very nice.”
From Kanagawa, we returned to Yokohama.
The city is so busy and crowded on the weekends.
After trying to get a seat in a few Starbucks cafes in two different malls, we finally found another popular Ralf Lauren cafe that had just two remaining seats available, and we sat down to drink oat milk lattes.
But it wasn’t relaxing to sit there, and a long line of people were waiting for a seat, so we just left and headed back to our hotel.
Along the way, we picked up some food for dinner to eat in our room tonight, because we knew that we could hardly get a seat at a good restaurant anyway.
With love,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Steps - 19,728
km walked - 13 km
Total walked: 612 km
Old Post Towns Visited:
Totsuka Juku #5
Hodogaya Juku #4
Kanagawa Juku #3
