Shirasuka-juku

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Shirasuka-juku (白須賀宿, Shirasuka-juku^?) was the thirty-second of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in Kosai, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, it was the westernmost post station of Tōtōmi Province.

[edit] History

Originally, Shirasuka-juku was located very close to the shore of the ocean. However, in 1707, a large earthquake struck, causing tsunami. The earthquake and its tsunami devastated the post station, causing much damage. After that, it was moved to its present location on a plateau. Before the earthquake struck, it was recorded to have 27 inns for travelers, making in a middle-sized post station.

When the post station was decommissioned in 1889, it was replaced with the new town of Shirasuka, which later merged with the city of Kosai in 1955.

During the Meiji period, the Tōkaidō Main Line was established. However, the train line did not come through Kosai and major developments in the area were kept to a minimum. As a result, there are sill a few areas with buildings from the Edo period in existence today. There is also a historical archives museum that was established to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of the post station, with the purpose of expanding knowledge of the culture and history of the post station.^[1]

[edit] Neighboring Post Towns

Tōkaidō

Arai-juku - Shirasuka-juku - Futagawa-juku

[edit] References