The Nakasendo Way

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The Nakasendo Way ~ Introduction- Part 1

Last year I walked the Nakasendo. The Nakasendo or:


Naka - Middle
Sen - Mountain
Do - Way


is the old samurai highway between Kyoto and Tokyo. I had prepared a lengthy travelogue of this walk but because it is a long journey and has many steep and winding paths I feared I may lose you.
Instead I have decided to present, at intermittent spells, little vignettes of my adventure.

Map courtesy of walkjapan.com

By way of introduction let me tell you a little about the Nakasendo's origins.
Although established in the 7th century the highway was used more extensively in the Edo period, which is that time in Japan's history from 1600 to 1868.

The highway was built on the Chinese pattern of a well maintained and regulated thoroughfare with post towns dotted along the way at spaced intervals. The towns provided the travellers and pilgrims with inns for accommodation and dining, tea houses, shops for provisions and a porter system.

There are many delightful towns, cultural and historical snippets and much majestic scenery along this route but before we leave we have some exploring to do in Kyoto.




If you take the Nara line two stops south of Kyoto to Fushimi Inari and climb the hill behind the town you will find hundreds upon hundreds of red torii.







These spectacular temple gates pay homage to the Japanese God of rice, Inari who is accompanied at the mountain shrine by what seems to be an equal number of his swift messengers - foxes.






On the western hilly outskirts of Kyoto I crossed the Hozugawa River via the Togetsuko Bridge in search of monkeys.

Old Photos of Japan

I found, instead, at the top of the mountain a tiny shrine dedicated to a merchant by the name of Ryoi Suminokura.








Below the shrine and clinging precariously to the hillside was an enormous bronze bell. A sign informed me that I was entitled to three gongs. The bell's mellow reverberations rang out over the green valley of Arashiyama below.

A frail white butterfly
Beneath the spell of Noon
Is sleeping on the huge
Bronze bell

Buson 1715- 1783

A solitary caretaker monk invited us in to the simple four by four metre shrine where, with a view of the valley below, we could contemplate Mahatma Gandhi's seven social sins.






It was the last one that got me thinking.

Togetsuko Bridge by Tokuriki

On an old wooden building that we passed on our descent I noticed these hand written words:

If you open your heart
what you will find
may be some thing wonderful
Only you will know.

At the title - Japanese print by Kagami.
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