Otai-shuku

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

Otai-shuku (小田井宿 Otai-shuku) was the twenty-first of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day town of Miyota, in the Kitasaku District of Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

History

Otai-shuku originated between 473 and 492AD and developed into a post town over one thousand years later, during the Keichō era.[1] Because Otai-shuku was small there were only five rest areas in the entire post town, daimyos tended to stay at the neighboring Oiwake-shuku, which was much larger.[2] The Otai-shuku Festival was established to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the post town; this festival takes place on August 16 of each year.[3]

Neighboring post towns

Nakasendō
Oiwake-shuku - Otai-shuku - Iwamurada-shuku

References

  1. ↑ Nakasendo: Otai-shuku. Shunji Mori. Accessed August 14, 2007.
  2. ↑ Nakasendō: Shinshū Miyota. Miyota-machi Tourist Association. Accessed August 30, 2007.
  3. ↑ Otai-juku Matsuri: Shinshū Miyota. Miyota-machi Tourist Association. Accessed August 14, 2007.

Coordinates: 36°18′22.2″N 138°29′49.6″E / 36.306167°N 138.497111°E