東海道五十三次の宿場めぐりの旅。
第4回目は「保土ヶ谷宿」を深掘りしながらめぐってみます。
東海道五十三次の宿場めぐりのルール
1.東京の日本橋から、京都の三条大橋へ
2.見附、本陣、脇本陣、問屋場、高札場は見る
3.東京側から京都側に向かって移動
4.宿場間の移動は公共交通機関
5.連続でめぐるルートがわかるようにする
6.動画は宿場ごとに分ける
※詳しくは品川宿の動画をご覧ください。
https://youtu.be/4krQH8Sqntk?si=qbZE-KCXkGQCUPdq&t=83
次の宿場：戸塚宿
前の宿場：神奈川宿
〇品川宿
〇川崎宿
#保土ヶ谷宿 #東海道五十三次 #旧東海道
※「やっち」と「すくっち」について
カスタムパーツで進化していくロボット。
ロボットらしい声でしゃべっているので、慣れるまで聞き取りにくいかもしれません。
This time’s deep-dive journey is a series of stops on the 53 stations of the Tokaido. An in-depth explanation of Hodogaya-juku, the fourth post station from Nihonbashi. The role of commentator is me, “Yacchi.” I, “Scucchi”, am a listener. So, let’s start the deep journey of travel robot! Travel robot’s in-depth journey. Hodogaya-juku, the fourth post station from Nihonbashi, starts from Tennocho Station on the Sotetsu Line. After exiting the east ticket gate, walk to the left and north for about 5 minutes and you will find the Edo-side entrance and exit, “Edokata Mitsuke”. If you are coming from Kanagawa-juku, the previous post station, it is a 4-stop train ride from Yokohama Station on the Sotetsu Line. Hodogaya-juku was located around Akamaru. There was a post station parallel to National Route 1. Here, we will introduce the rules for visiting the 53 stations of the Tokaido. While heading towards Kyoto from Nihonbashi, we visited various post stations. Look at Mitsuke, Honjin, Wakihonjin, wholesale market, and takafuda store. Use public transportation between post stations and make a video that shows the route. A detailed explanation of the rules can be found in the Shinagawa-shuku video, so please watch it from the link in the summary section. The first place we go to is the Edo Katamitsuke Ruins. Entrance on the Edo side. If you walk for about 5 minutes north from Tennocho Station on the Sotetsu Line, you will find the Edokatamitsuke ruins of Hodogaya-juku. There is an explanation for the Edo-kata Mitsuke ruins, so I don’t think you will miss it if you walk while looking for it. Mitsuke, a post post, is a structure made of bamboo and wood with arrows built on top of an earthwork. Although it was originally a simple defense facility, it is thought that it also had the effect of visually indicating the area of the post station. At Hodogaya-juku, the “Kamigata-mitsuke” entrance on the Kyoto side has been restored. If you watch this video to the end, you will understand what Mitsuke in Hodogaya-juku was like. This is towards Nihonbashi. It’s a shopping street, so if you have the time and energy, you might want to take a walk around. I would like to take a look at Hodogaya-juku from the Edo-Katamitsuke ruins. It seems that there were 19 Hodogaya-shukus (approximately 2 km) from Edo-kata-mitsuke to Kamigata-mitsuke. It takes about 30 minutes if you just walk. If you want to see it slowly, it would be a good idea to spend about 2 hours. Like the post stations I’ve been to so far, if you want to take a closer look, you might want to spend a day there. There are many things to see, not just things related to post stations like Mitsuke and Honjin, but also shrines and temples. By the way, in the video about Kanagawa-shuku, the kanji “Hodogaya-shuku” was used, right? This time it’s "Hodogaya-juku", but which one is correct? In conclusion, it seems that "Hodogaya-juku" is correct. The reason I used “Hodogaya-juku” was because “Hodogaya” was written on the stone monument that appeared in the Shinagawa-juku video. This is what you mean. Yeah. It had the word “Hodogaya” written on it, so I thought that the kanji for “Hodogaya” was used in the past. However, when I researched Hodogaya-juku, I found out that I was wrong. It appears that the place name “Hodogaya” first appeared in the “Shinmeisha Yuishogaki.” It is a historical document from the 12th year of Tenbun (1543). It seems that “Hodogaya” was written there. Although there are documents written in other ways, the mainstream was “Hodogaya.” Hodogaya Gakusha (currently Hodogaya Elementary School) was built in 1873, and Hodogaya Station (currently Hodogaya Station) opened in 1887. It seems that it changed to "Hodogaya" during the Meiji period. It seems that from around the early Showa era, the name was standardized to “Hodogaya”. By the way, in the ordinance enacted in 1959, the official name was decided to be “Hodogaya”. The official name is not the small “ke” but the big “ke”. When I checked, the JR station was Hodogaya Station, with a large ke. I returned to Tennocho Station. The old Tokaido road passes through the station and continues on the other side of the station. I’m thankful that it’s not divided by stations or railroad tracks. Next is the "Old Kamishibashi Ruins". It is located in Tennocho Ekimae Park, just outside the south exit of Tennocho Station. The current location is just across the street from the south exit of Tennocho Station. Once upon a time, the Kamishigawa River ran through this area, and the old Tokaido road continued beyond that river. The old Tamashi Bridge spanned the Tamashi River. Apparently it was called Ohashi or Shinmachi Bridge. In 1956, the Kajigawa River, which had been flowing south of Tennocho Station, was relocated to the north side of Tennocho Station. The place where the Tamashigawa River used to be is now Tennocho Ekimae Park, and there is a monument to the site of the old Tamashibashi Bridge. It seems that the old Tokaido road ran through the park, and if you continue walking, you will pass through the ruins of the old Kajibashi Bridge. The old mail bridge was 15 ken (approximately 27 m) long and 3 ken (approximately 5.4 m) wide. The monument is now quite small, but you can experience the feeling of crossing the bridge just like the people of those days. If you come to this park without knowing anything about it, you might wonder what this monument is. There is an explanation, but it is located far away from the monument. If you know that this is the old Tokaido, you might be able to figure out that it’s something related to the old Tokaido. Next to the park is a walking guide map around Hodogaya-juku. You can also visit Hodogaya-juku by looking at this. Hodogaya-shuku was established in 1601, at the same time as the start of the post-eki denma system. A post station is a post station, and a tenma is a horse that is used for official purposes by the shogunate and is transferred at a post station. Hodogaya-juku underwent major renovations around 1648, and its path has changed. The Kamishibashi Bridge, famous for Utagawa Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e prints, was also built at this time. By the way, the current Kamishibashi Bridge is crossed on the way from the Edo Katamitsuke ruins to Tennocho Station. This bridge was the current Shinto Bridge. This means that this river was the Kamegawa River, and it did not flow through this area during the Edo period. That’s what happens. In the past, the northern estuary coast was gentle and only one side was flat, so it came to be called “Katahira.” It is said that it became a “mail”. There was a boat dock at the mouth of the Kazugawa River, and it seems to have been used as a base for boat transportation that took advantage of the ebb and flow of the tide. It has nothing to do with the clothing “mail”. It seems so. By the way, it seems that just the first kanji of “忷子”, “帷”, can be read as “katabira.” Next is "Old Nakabashi Ruins". It’s pronounced "Naka no Hashi." This is where the river Imai River used to cross the post. Due to the renovation of the old Tokaido in 1648, the course of the Imai River was changed. What was built over it was the Naka-no-hashi Bridge. The Imai River that was created during the renovation had structural problems, and the downstream area was sometimes flooded during heavy rains. In 1852, it was renovated to its current river course. The leftover soil from the Imai River renovation at that time was used to build “Shinagawa Daiba” near Shinagawa-shuku. Shinagawa Daiba also appeared in the Shinagawa-juku video. If I recall correctly, due to funding issues, fewer cannons could be built than planned, right? Yeah. For more information, please watch the Shinagawa-juku video. The current Imai River runs parallel to the old Tokaido. Construction work to prevent river flooding due to heavy rain was carried out from 1992 to 2004. A tunnel-type underground regulating pond with a length of 2,000 m and a capacity of 178,000 cubic km was constructed under National Route 1 on the border of Kariba-cho and Gonta-zaka in Hodogaya-ku. Furthermore, it seems that river construction is being carried out to cope with heavy rain. I can’t find any information that it’s completed, so I think the construction is still continuing as of June 2024. This means that flood prevention measures for the Imai River have continued from the Edo period to the present day. That’s what it is. Hodogaya-juku looks like this, and I’m grateful that there is information on places related to the post. I think you can go to most places along the old Tokaido route without doing any research in advance. The narrow shopping street here is the old Tokaido. The width of the road feels like a highway. Next is “Sukego Kaisho Ruins”. From here, the ruins of the Sukego Kaisho, the wholesale market, and the takafuda store continue. A monument marking the site of Sukego Kaisho stands quietly. You need to be careful because you may miss it. Sukego Kaisho is a place where people and horses from Sukego Village, which provides horses, are collected. The village around the post station was designated as Sukego Village. Initially, it worked without any problems, but as the volume of distribution increased, the burden on Sukego Village increased. It seems that problems began to occur around 1745. At Kawasaki-juku, there was also talk about the burden on Sukego Village. From what I’ve researched, it seems like they were forcibly designated, so the issue of burden may have been at various post stations. The burden on Kawasaki-shuku itself was so great that they even called for its abolition. The Kawasaki-shuku crisis and its reconstruction are explained in the Kawasaki-shuku video. It seems that the Inn Ekidenma system didn’t have a capitalistic feel to it. In today’s society, do you feel like the government is forcing the private sector to do the work without regard to profitability? That may be the case. A short distance from Sukego Kaisho is the remains of a wholesaler’s shop. “Toyaba Ruins” is around Akamaru. It’s on the left as you head towards Kyoto. The wholesaler was responsible for transporting the luggage of feudal lords, communicating official letters and other documents for the shogunate, and arranging lodging for parades of feudal lords. One of the most important facilities at the post station is Toyaba. The head of the wholesale shop, “Toya”, was appointed by Karube Seibei in 1601. After that, successive heads of the family called themselves Seibei Karibe. Karibe Seibei is also related to the Honjin, but I will explain that at the Honjin ruins. The explanation here talks about Toiyaba, Sukego, and Takafudaba. The Toyaba site (this location) was close to the Sukego Kaisho site, but the Takafudaba site is also very close to here. Hodogaya-juku was located close to important facilities. It seems so. By the way, the Honjin and the three Waki Honjin were also clustered together nearby. The main camp was a little further down the road from here. If Nakabashi were to be divided into Edo and Kyoto sides, important facilities would have been concentrated on the Kyoto side. And this is where the high bid counter was located. The “Takafuda Bank Ruins” is around the Akamaru area. It’s on the right as you head towards Kyoto. The takafuda billboard is a place where the rules and laws of the shogunate are posted. Apparently there were also tall tags posted that listed things like the cost of transporting luggage to the next post, and the cost of lodging at the inn. The takafuda bank, built in 1763, was two and a half ken (approximately 4.5 m) wide and one jo (approximately 3 m) high. The size of the billboards at post stations in Kanagawa Prefecture is shown in the Kanagawa Post video. It seems that the ticket halls at post stations in Kanagawa Prefecture were approximately the same size. Next is the Kanazawa Yokocho Stone Monument. That’s a fork in the road. If you go straight, you will reach the Old Tokaido Road, and if you turn left, you will reach the Kanasawa Kamakura Road. On the opposite side of the old Tokaido road, there is a stone monument marking the fork in the road. It says “Kanazawa Yokocho,” but there was also a site that said “Kanazawa Yokocho.” When you cross the road, there is a building called “Hodogaya-juku Bansho”. It seems to be a resting place on the historical road. The shutters were closed when I went there. There are four stone monuments at the building. There are a lot of unreadable characters, but it seems to be quite old. However, there was a good explanation. From the right side, it seems to be written as “Enkai Sanno Michi”, “Kanasawa/Kamakura Michi”, “Sugita Michi”, and “Tomioka Yam Daimyo Shrine Path”. Mt. Enkai is a mountain located in Isogo Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and is said to have been famous for “mine moxibustion.” Currently, the forest around Mt. Enkai is one of Yokohama’s top 10 green hubs. The reason why the stone monument was difficult to read is probably because the word “Yen” is in the old font “圓”. The positional relationship between the current location and Mt. Enkai is like this. Approximately 9.4km in a straight line. Since Kamakura is here, I think you can go to Kamakura via Mt. Enkai. By the way, the straight line distance from Mt. Enkai to the Great Buddha of Kamakura is about 7.2 km. To the left of the stone monument "Enkai Sanno Michi" is "Kanasawa Kamakura Michi". “Kanasawa” refers to the Eight Views of Kanazawa, and the Kanazawa Road seems to have continued all the way to “Mutsuura Jinya” in Kanazawa. A jinya is a structure other than a castle placed at the base of a lord’s territory. According to Wikipedia, Mutsuura Jinya was located in Mutsuura, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. However, according to Google Maps, it is Seto, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It looks like there are some stairs left, but there was information that they were the back gate. Since it is near the border between Mutsuura and Seto, there may have been a jinya in this area. By the way, “Mutsuura” is now pronounced as “Mutsuura,” but in the past it was pronounced “Mutsuura.” “Gumeushido” is written on the left side of this stone monument. This seems to be the Gumyoji Road, the road to Gumyoji Temple. Gumyoji Temple is located in Gumyoji-cho, Minami Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Gumyoji Temple is located approximately 2.3 km in a straight line from the current location. The “Kanasawa Michi” runs from Hodogaya-juku to Gumyoji Temple and ends at Mutsuura Jinya. From there, it continues to Kamakura via Asainakiri-doshi, so it is sometimes called Kanazawa-Kamakura-do. To the left of that stone monument is the stone monument of "Sugita Michi." Apparently it says, “The branch road of Hodogaya bends, the plum blossoms are the claws.” It is said that a signpost that doubles as a haiku monument is rare. It seems that Sugita Road was once used as a shortcut to Sugita’s plum grove. The Sugita Plum Grove was a famous plum blossom spot located in what is now Sugita, Isogo Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is said that Myohoji Temple was the center of this. Due to salt damage and residential development, there are only a few remnants left now. However, there is a movement to increase the number of Sugita plums again, and the Sugita Plum Festival is being held. The stone monument on the far left is “Tomioka Yam Daimyo Shrine Road”. I thought it was Yam Daimyojin, but it was actually Imo Daimyojin. Imo Daimyojin seems to refer to Choshoji Temple on Mt. Tomioka. Choshoji Temple is located in Tomioka Higashi, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It seems that Imo Daimyojin was worshiped as a guardian deity against smallpox. Smallpox is smallpox. The distance to Choshoji Temple is approximately 9.8km in a straight line. Each route is interesting, but this time we’re going to Hodogaya-juku, so we’ll take the old Tokaido towards Kyoto. A train that appeared to be on the Tokaido Main Line was passing by. The old Tokaido road is divided by the Tokaido Main Line, but you can pass through it at a railroad crossing. The name of the railroad crossing is "Tokaido Railroad Crossing." The Tokaido railway line seems to be busy. Cross the railroad crossing and continue along the old Tokaido. After a short distance, the old Tokaido turns to the right and becomes parallel to the Tokaido Main Line. . Next is the “Honjin Ruins”. It is located where the old Tokaido road turns to the right. Cross the railroad crossing and go straight along the old Tokaido, and at the end you will find the “Honjin Ruins.” The main camp of Hodogaya-juku was run by the Karibe family. The Karibe family is a descendant of Karube Buzenkami Yasunori, a vassal of the Odawara Hojo clan. The Karibe family also served as wholesalers and landlords. This is Seibei Karibe who appeared at the wholesale store. I agree. Until the honjin was abolished in 1870, the Karibe family was in charge of the honjin, wholesaler, and headman for about 270 years and 11 generations. The successive heads of the family called themselves Seibei Karibe. I was curious about what looked like a gate next to the explanation of the main shrine ruins, but I wasn’t sure if it was related to the main shrine. Considering the location, it seems possible that descendants of the Karibe family lived here, and the gate from back then is still there. The truth is unknown. Next is the Wakimoto Jin Ruins. There were three Wakihonjin in Hodogaya-juku, all clustered close together. The Honjin was an inn where feudal lords and others stayed, and the Waki Honjin was a backup inn for the Honjin. This place is diagonally across from the main site. The Wakihonjin was roughly around here. The other two houses are on the opposite side of the road. Since I crossed the intersection near the Honjin ruins, I overlooked the Wakihonjin ruin monument here… This is the monument at Wakihonjin ruins. I thought that the Japanese-style building in the foreground was Wakihonjin, but it turns out that the apartment building in front of the monument was actually Wakihonjin. This Wakihonjin is “Daikanekoya”. I regained my composure and headed to the next Wakihonjin ruins. The next Wakihonjin site is Fujiya. I think it’s about 100m from the main site. There is only a monument of the Wakihonjin ruins here as well, but there is no trace of it. It’s now an apartment building. Given that the main shrine and the waki-honjin are so close, it’s possible that they were next to each other due to the size of the grounds. If you look into old historical materials, you might be able to find out what happened. I think so. But that’s not necessary. Here you can see the townscape reconstructed based on the “Okan Townscape Map.” According to it, they were lined up in the following order: Honjin, Karibe Seibei, Karibaya, Araya, Numazuya, Owariya, and Wakihonjin (Fujiya). I don’t know how to read "Araya" though… Although they weren’t next to each other, it still felt like they were lined up close together. There was another Wakihonjin restaurant a little further down the road. Hodogaya-juku has the Honjin and Wakihonjin together, as well as the Sukego Kaisho, wholesale market, and takabi. It feels like the location was planned rather than decided spontaneously. Perhaps it has something to do with the major renovations in 1648. That major renovation changed the course. Yeah. While doing so, we arrived at the third Wakihonjin ruins. The third Wakihonjin site is located at the Hodogaya Fire Department Honjin Fire Department. The Wakihonjin that was here was “Mizuya.” There is also an explanation next to the Wakihonjin ruins monument. The “abolition of the inn station system” in the 3rd year of Meiji mentioned in the explanation here is the wrong year, but I will explain that later. In addition to Honjin and Wakihonjin, Hodogaya-shuku also had a place called Chaya Honjin. "Hatagoya" is an accommodation facility. Common people stayed in inns. I think important people like shoguns and feudal lords made reservations, but what did common people do? I tried to find out what the common people did when they stayed overnight, but I couldn’t find anything. At that time, the only means of communication was letters or messages, so I guess it was more like a walk-in without a reservation. By the way, when I researched the letter, I found some interesting information. It seems that during the Edo period, people sometimes sent letters to their hometowns to let them know they were safe while on a journey. It is said that the letter was entrusted to a traveler heading for his hometown, passed from traveler to traveler, and finally reached its destination. That’s amazing. There were probably many letters that were thrown away along the way. Even if such a letter existed, it would be difficult to convey that fact to the present day. That’s true. It is unclear whether the letter was actually delivered in that way. Even if it were true, I feel like it would be a bit difficult to make a reservation using such an uncertain method. So, we arrived at the Hatagoya Ruins. Hatagoya (Honkanekoya) is located at Akamaru. The building still remains. Hatagoya, as I explained earlier, are accommodation facilities for common people. This is "Hon Kanekoya". It says “Hatagoya (Honkanekoya) Ruins”, but the inn building remains. However, it is not a building from the Edo period, but seems to have been built in 1869. Even if it was only after the Meiji era, it was 155 years ago as of 2024. Yeah. The inn station system was abolished in 1872. I think it can be called a valuable building in the sense that it was built at a time when the inn station system was still in place. The year 1870 mentioned in the explanation of the Wakihonjin ruins is the year when the Honjin system was abolished, not the inn station system. It’s not that the honjin and waki-honjin remained until the end of the inn station system, but that they remained until the end of the honjin system. Even after the Honjin system ended, the Shukueki system continued for about two years. In the Meiji era, the positions of shogun and daimyo disappeared, and the honjin and side honjin were no longer needed. Does this mean that the post station system was abolished late because the post post function was necessary? That might be the case. By the way, it seems that this inn was not originally built in this location. In the wake of the Great Kanto Earthquake, National Route 1 in front of the area was widened, and a 7m-long Hikiya was held at that time. Hikiya means to move buildings as they are without damaging them. Furthermore, in 1932, National Route 1 was widened to its current width, and the front garden and Daimyomon (pronunciation unknown) were removed. I looked up how to read “Daimeimon,” but I couldn’t find it. Apparently her last name is pronounced “Onakado.” It seems that the gate and ceremony stand were skillfully incorporated at this time. It’s a shame that even though you say that, I don’t really understand… The fact that it was built in means that the structure has changed from when it was built. That’s what it is. That’s also a bit disappointing. Next is the Chaya Honjin Ruins. “Chaya Honjin” is a teahouse that is comparable in scale and prestige to Honjin. A teahouse is a rest area that serves tea and sweets. Honjin seems to be designated, so I don’t think Chaya Honjin named itself arbitrarily. The fact that it was named “Chaya Honjin” must mean that it was a special place. I guess so. The place where the main teahouse was located is now a private house. When I was researching about the Chaya Honjin in Hodogaya-juku, I came across the theory that there may not have been a Chaya Honjin. One of the reasons is that Chaya Honjin is a rival to Honjin, so there is no way it could be near Honjin. Between Hodogaya-shuku and Totsuka-shuku on the Kyoto side, there was an “inn in between.” Ma-no-juku is a town place for rest between two post stations. Apparently, the inn between them had a standing teahouse with a good view of Mt. Fuji. “Stand” is a place where you can take a break or keep your horses in check at the inn in between. A tea house in that position is a “stand tea house.” In the inn between Hodogaya-shuku and Totsuka-shuku, there were two or three fine teahouses that still remain. That’s probably why there may have been no demand for the teahouse headquarters built in Hodogaya-juku. In that case, it becomes necessary to consider that the place where Chaya Honjin is located is “Chayamachi”. You just crossed the Chayamachi Bridge. Yeah. Is it Chayamachi because there was a Chaya Honjin, or is it Chaya Honjin because the Honjin was built in Chayamachi? The conclusion was that some of the work of the headquarters had been transferred to the “Chayamachi Honjin Branch.” I don’t know the truth, but such considerations are interesting. That’s interesting. Next up is the Kamigata Mitsuke Ruins and the Restored Ichirizuka. That’s all for Hodogaya-juku, but this video will continue a little longer. This place is near the Imai River, which was also mentioned in the Nakabashi ruins. Along the Imai River are the Kamigata Mitsuke Ruins and Ichirizuka. Kamigata Mitsuke is the entrance to the post station on the Kyoto side. Kyoto is said to be “upper” because it is where the Emperor is, and “upper” because it is in that direction. According to the local history of Hodogaya Ward, the Kamigata-mitsuke area of Hodogaya-shuku was located in front of Togawa Shrine. Togawa Shrine is located across the Imai River. It seems that there was a doi like the one on the right side of the explanation in Kamigatamitsuke of Hodogaya-juku. Nearby was the 8th milestone from Edo. Milestones were established as a guide to distances along highways. It is said that small mounds of earth were built on both sides of the road, and trees such as enoki were planted on top of them. Due to space constraints, this is a milestone that has been restored to a smaller size than the original. The tree is large, so it looks big enough, but the base is small and it looks unbalanced. Next to the restored Ichirizuka is the restored Kamigata Mitsuke. It is also said that Kamigata Mitsuke was not located here, but near the Hodogayacho 2-chome bus stop. Hodogayacho 2-chome bus stop is located about 100m from here in the direction of Kyoto. Not only Kamigata Mitsuke and Ichirizuka have been restored, but the pine trees along the highway have also been restored. It is a public space created by the renovation of the Imai River, and it looks like the rows of pine trees and milestones that symbolize the old Tokaido have been restored. In 1604, the shogunate ordered that the roads be lined with trees. As a result, the pine trees of Hodogaya-juku were created. It seems that it continued for about 3km from this area towards Kyoto. After Hodogaya-juku is over, you can enjoy the atmosphere of the highway. If you are not interested in post stations and want to enjoy the atmosphere of the highway, it would be a good idea to start walking towards Kyoto from here. The fence on the left looks too modern, but the one on the right has a “road” feel to it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of cars driving on the right side. Hodogaya-juku is about 2km long, so if you can walk, it might be fun to walk continuously. There are signposts for the Kanazawa Road, and the inn still remains, so it feels like a post town. The bus on the right is about to stop at Hodogayacho 2-chome bus stop. Near the bus stop there is where Kamigata Mitsuke is said to have been located. Maybe they really wanted to restore Kamigata Mitsuke in this area. Since we couldn’t secure space, it seems possible that it would be in the same location as Ichirizuka. Now, after passing the Kamigata-mitsuke ruins of Hodogaya-juku, we are heading to a place related to the renovation of the old Tokaido. On the way to the place, you can enjoy the restored pine trees. You can sit on the bench and heal the fatigue of walking around Hodogaya-juku before moving on. The pine trees continue, but the old Tokaido turns right here. If you watch the video below and decide that you don’t need to go there, you can go to the next post station from the Hodogayacho 2-chome bus stop. From Hodogayacho 2-chome bus stop, take the Kanachu bus and get off at Bridgestone-mae. Nearby is the Edo-Kamitsuke ruins of the next post station, Totsuka-juku. 450m from here is the old Motomachi Bridge ruins. As I said in Kawasaki-juku’s “A town called Shinjuku”, place names can have meanings. "Motomachi" means "original town." Does this mean that "Motomachi" was the original town? Such that. Hodogaya-cho in the early Edo period is said to be present-day Motomachi (Hodogaya-cho 3-chome). Hodogayacho 3-chome is a little further down the street from the information board. Hodogaya-cho 3-chome seems to be Motomachi, so I think the area around the red circle was Hodogaya-cho in the early Edo period. I’m not sure if it’s really "Motomachi = Hodogayacho 3-chome", but according to the information I found out after researching it, it was something like that. I’m sorry if I’m wrong. Compared to Hodogaya-juku, where I walked this time, it feels like a small town. I agree. It seems that the Hodogaya local history says that construction of the new town began in 1648 and was completed in 1660. In fact, the name “Shinmachi” comes from the site of the old Kamashibashi Bridge. Another name for Shinmachi Bridge was Shinmachi Bridge. Shinmachi is the area around Tennocho Station. That seems a little different. Hodogaya-shuku was made up of Hodogaya-cho, Iwama-cho, Kobe-cho, and Tomoko-cho. There was information that the four towns had become one and a new town was established. There was information that Motomachi had “Old Motomachi” and “Shin Motomachi,” and there was also a theory that the former Hodogaya-shuku was not here. It seems like the story will involve Gonta-zaka, which is said to be the first difficult point on the old Tokaido road. Since I’m not going to Gonta-zaka, I think I’ll refrain from digging any deeper. So, we arrived at the former Motomachi Bridge ruins. "Old Motomachi Bridge Ruins" is around Akamaru. The blue line is the old Tokaido. According to the local history of Hodogaya Ward in 1938, the Imai River flowed through this area before the construction of the Tokaido Line in the Meiji period. The Imai River flows across the old Tokaido, and the old Motomachi Bridge was built over it. The current Motomachi Bridge is located a short distance along the old Tokaido road towards Kyoto. It is said that Hodogaya-juku, before the renovation of the old Tokaido, was located around Motomachi. However, as I said earlier, there seem to be many different theories. Even if this place was the former Hodogaya-shuku, there are no attractions that make it feel like a post. In addition, there is a possibility that it was not the former Hodogaya-juku. If your purpose is to visit post stations, I think it is sufficient to go to Kamigata Mitsuke Ruins. If you go towards Kyoto on a road that feels like an “old road,” you will come to an intersection called Motomachi Guard. The old Tokaido road turns left here. I’m glad that there is a guide to the old Tokaido here as well. 130m to Gonta-zaka, the first difficult point on the old Tokaido. This bridge in front of it is the current Motomachi Bridge. According to the explanation earlier, I guess the course of the Imai River was changed when the Tokaido Line was built. I guess that’s what it means. Crossing the current Motomachi Bridge, the old Tokaido road turns to the right. Beyond that is Gonta-zaka. In this series of post stations on the 53 stations of the Tokaido, we will use public transportation between post stations, so we will not go to Gonta-zaka. The origin of the name Gonta-zaka is also interesting, so I’m thinking of going there if I have a chance. At that time, I hope we can dig a little deeper into Hodogaya-juku before its renovation. I agree. I also appreciate that there is a guide on the sidewalk just before the crosswalk heading towards Gonta-zaka. Instead of going to Gonta-zaka, I went to the bus stop that would take me to the next post station, Totsuka-juku. Go straight on the original road and you will reach National Route 1. Go to the other side on the pedestrian bridge. This road is National Route 1, which is today’s Tokaido. You can take a bus to Totsuka-juku from the bus stop just after getting off the pedestrian bridge. This bus stop is "Motomachibashi Koban-mae". From here, take the Kanachu bus bound for “Totsuka Station East Exit” and get off at “Bridgestone-mae.” The destination guide here says “Bridgestone Mae,” but the Kanachu Bus website says “Bridgestone Mae.” “BRIDGESTONE” is “Bridgestone,” so I think this destination guide is wrong. This concludes our tour of the 53 stations of the Tokaido, including Hodogaya-juku. I would be happy if you could watch the next video of Totsuka-juku. Well, let’s meet again in another place. Well, let’s meet again in another place.