Echigawa-juku

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

Echigawa-juku's hatago

Echigawa-juku (愛知川宿 Echigawa-juku) was the sixty-fifth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in Aishō, Echi District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

History

Echigawa-juku has a long history. Kitabatake Akiie recorded his stay here in 1336 in the Taiheiki. It was originally a post town along the Tōsandō, before becoming part of the Nakasendō. In its heyday, it thrived as both a post town and a commercial center. For those who were heading to the Kantō region for trading, Echigawa was their traditional first stop along the Nakasendō.

In 1843, the post station had 929 residents and 199 buildings. Among the buildings, there was one honjin, two sub-honjin, and 28 hatago.

The current residents of the area surrounding the former Echigawa-juku often refer to it as the sixty-sixth stop along the Nakasendō, because they count Nihonbashi as the first stop, even though it is an endpoint.

Neighboring Post Towns

Nakasendō

Takamiya-juku - Echigawa-juku - Musa-juku

References

Coordinates: 35°10′18.7″N 136°12′28.3″E / 35.171861°N 136.207861°E