The Nakasendō (中山道, Central Mountain Route), also called the Kisokaidō (木曾街道), was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. There were 69 stations (staging-posts) between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces. In addition to Tokyo and Kyoto, the Nakasendō runs through the modern-day prefectures of Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu and Shiga, with a total distance of about 534 km (332 mi).
Itabashi-shuku (板橋宿), located in Itabashi City on the northwest side of Tokyo, was the first post town on the Nakasendo Trail, a historic inland thoroughfare between Kyoto and Edo (present day Tokyo). Throughout the Edo Period (1603-1868), Itabashi-shuku was a vital stopping point for noblemen and tradesmen alike as they traveled back and forth to the capital. It flourished as one of the four post stations in Edo and spread out over two kilometers from north to south. Being the first of the 69 post towns, Itabashi-shuku was one of the most important, and largest: it was split into three sections: Kami-shuku (上宿), Naka-shuku (中宿) and Hirao-shuku (平尾宿). Kami-shuku and Naka-shuku were bounded by Itabashi, a bridge spanning the Shakujii River. The honjin and the toiya were located in Naka-shuku. The borders of Hirao-shuku spread until the vicinity of Kanmei-ji.
It was the last stop before samurai lords visited the shogun, or the first before setting out on a dangerous journey into the wilderness. Over 400 years later we can still walk the same path as these intrepid journeymen and imagine what it was like back then.
【東京 散策】- 夜の板橋宿を散歩 –
東京の北西部、板橋区に位置する「板橋宿」は、江戸（現在の東京）と京都を結ぶ歴史ある内陸部の街道「中山道」の最初の宿場町。江戸時代（1603～1868年）、板橋宿は大名や商人が都である京都と江戸を行き来するのに欠かせない宿場であった。中山道に置かれた69カ所の宿場の中でも江戸側の最初の宿であった板橋宿は、重要かつ最も大きい宿場町の一つで、「上宿」「仲宿」「平尾宿」の3つの地域に分けられていた。江戸から京都へ向かう者には山を越える危険な長旅の最初の宿場であり、京都から江戸に向かう者には武士が将軍家を訪れる前に立ち寄る最後の宿場でもあった板橋宿。そこでは400年以上が経った今もなお、かつての勇敢な旅人たちが通った道を歩き、当時の様子を思い描くことができる。
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Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (October 2022) – https://www.lifeworldtokyo.com