“The entire Kiso Road is in the mountains.” This is the famous opening line of the novel Before The Dawn written by Toson Shimazaki, who was born in Magome, Japan in 1872. The Kiso Road is part of the Nakasendo, an inland route connecting Kyoto and Tokyo (formerly known as “Edo”) that flourished in the Edo period (1603-1868). This opening sentence hints at not only the difficulty of traveling along the road back then, but also the challenges that people living along a mountainous road might have had with access to information and resources. This was an issue I clearly came to understand step-by-step on this historic trail deep in the mountains on a Walk Japan tour.
My fellow hikers and I started our tour from Kyoto, and after a one-night stay in a wonderful ancient “ryokan” (Japanese-style inn) in Shinchaya we descended into Magome, just a half hour away. A stone monument, which indicates the beginning-point of the Kiso Road, is set between Shinchaya and Magome.
Clients on a Walk Japan tour enter the historic town of Magome
in the heart of the Nakasendo which connected Kyoto with Edo (now Tokyo).
Magome still retains its urban landscape from the late Edo period, and is now a popular destination for tourists. When we arrived, we were greeted by a pedestrian-only walking path which weaves its way through the town. Historical buildings and a wooden water mill can be viewed while strolling along the walkway. Magnificent scenery can be seen from the top of the slope as described in Before The Dawn: “You can see the broad sky spread towards the foot of Mt. Ena as well as the Mino plains. . .”
There used to be a large inn, or “honjin,” for the high-class samurai known as “daimyo,” in addition to other inns for other travelers in Magome during the Edo period. It was not easy for people living in these outposts, including Magome, to welcome daimyo to their towns because they had a duty to provide food and accommodation for them and daimyo usually travelled with many followers and horses. The honjin where Toson was born in Magome does not exist anymore, but the site of the former building is the current location of the Toson Memorial Museum. You can see his books and original manuscripts there. Also, there are still inns for today’s travelers, as well as restaurants, teahouses and souvenir shops along the road that leads into town.
When you get hungry, you can pick up “oyaki,” a traditional local dish composed of a wheat or soba covering folded around a filling. Oyaki can be made with a variety of fillings, including coleseed greens, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. The inviting scent of these local delicacies being baked in storefronts wafts along the route. Also recommended is the local specialty called “gohei-mochi,” which is a rice cake coated with sauce made from soy sauce and walnut. It is soft, hot and delicious if you eat it right after it is toasted. “The house was filled with the smell of gohei-mochi which Ofuki was toasting in the kitchen,” according to Toson’s description in Before The Dawn. He continues, “Delicious-looking gohei-mochi, toasted to a beautiful brown, was served to the newly married couple.”
Before departing for Tsumago, another historic postal town on the Nakasendo, I visited the grave of Toson to thank the author for the wonderful words he left us with.
Grave markers for author Toson Shimazaki and family on a hill above Magome.
Photo Credits
Photos are by Sachiko Matsuo – All Rights Reserved
Guest Author Bio
Sachiko Matsuo
Sachiko Matsuo is a Japan-based writer.
Blog / Website: www.WalkJapan.com
In the Footsteps of Toson is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN