Kashiwabara-juku

Hiroshige's print of Kashiwabara-juku, part of the The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō series

Kashiwabara-juku (柏原宿 Kashiwabara-juku) was the sixtieth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day city of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

History

Records of Kashiwabara-juku itself date back to the Middle Ages when it was mentioned in the Taiheiki, a historical epic of Japan. A post station was first established in the Kashiwabara-juku area in 646.[1] The Kashiwabara-juku established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the 17th century was approximately 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from east to west, making it one of the larger post stations along the Nakasendō.[2] Different sources place the number of hatago as either 344[3] or 457,[2] though either number would be large when compared to other post stations.

In 1996, a study was conducted which showed that over one-fifth of the structures in the Kashiwabara-juku area were built in the either the Edo or Meiji periods.[1] Nowadays, it is known for its mugwort, which is the local specialty. At one point, there were over ten shops that specialized in mugwort products.

Neighboring Post Towns

Nakasendō
Imasu-juku - Kashiwabara-juku - Samegai-juku

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kashiwabara-juku Rekishi. Maibara-shi Kashiwabara-juku Rekishikan. Accessed July 18, 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kashiwabara-juku: Shukueki Sansaku. Ōmi Historical Promotion Society. Accessed November 13, 2007.
  3. ↑ Shiga-ken Kankō Jōhō: Nakasendō. Biwa-ko Visitors Bureau. Accessed November 13, 2007.

Coordinates: 35°20′34.8″N 136°24′01.5″E / 35.343000°N 136.400417°E