Kashiwabara-juku
Kashiwabara-juku (柏原宿, Kashiwabara-juku) was the sixtieth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day city of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.[1]
History
Records of Kashiwabara-juku itself date back to the Middle Ages when it was mentioned in the Taiheiki, a historical epic of Japan. A post station was first established in the Kashiwabara-juku area in 646.[2] The Kashiwabara-juku established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the 17th century was approximately 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from east to west, making it one of the larger post stations along the Nakasendō.[3] Different sources place the number of hatago as either 344[4] or 457,[3] though either number would be large when compared to other post stations.
In 1996, a study was conducted which showed that over one-fifth of the structures in the Kashiwabara-juku area were built in the either the Edo or Meiji periods.[2] Nowadays, it is known for its mugwort, which is the local specialty. At one point, there were over ten shops that specialized in mugwort products.
Neighboring Post Towns
- Nakasendō
- Imasu-juku - Kashiwabara-juku - Samegai-juku
References
- kashiwabara-juku
- Kashiwabara-juku Rekishi. Maibara-shi Kashiwabara-juku Rekishikan. Accessed July 18, 2007.
- Kashiwabara-juku: Shukueki Sansaku Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. Ōmi Historical Promotion Society. Accessed November 13, 2007.
- Shiga-ken Kankō Jōhō: Nakasendō. Biwa-ko Visitors Bureau. Accessed November 13, 2007.