"The entire Kisoji is in the mountains" - this opening phrase about an ancient trail in Toson Shimazaki's classic novel "Before the Dawn" still holds true today. The 11 post towns on the Kisoji section of the Nakasendo road are linked by a road that runs through tree-covered mountains. I walked the section between Midono-juku and Tsumago-juku, post towns in Nagiso, to get a taste of what travelers in the Edo period (1603-1867) experienced as they walked this path.
Midono, which is about 1.5 kilometers north of JR Nagiso Station, was almost completely burned down by a huge fire during the Meiji era (1868-1912). The site of the honjin main inn, marked by a stone monument indicating Emperor Meiji once stayed there, is among the vestiges of the former post town.
As I walked along the Kisogawa river, the Momosukebashi bridge - a 247-meter wooden suspension bridge completed in 1922 by businessman Momosuke Fukuzawa to facilitate electric power development in the region - came into view. A little further downstream stands the Yomikaki hydroelectric power station, built in the Taisho era (1912-1926). Both facilities have been designated as important national cultural properties. The retro designs of these symbols of the nation's modernization evoke feelings of nostalgia.
As I leave the river and walk along the old Nakasendo road, I am surrounded by dense forest. Dotting the road are places of historic interest, such as the Kabuto Kannon shrine dedicated to Kiso Yoshinaka, a warlord in the late Heian period (from the late eighth century to the late 12th century), and a monument engraved with a poem by the monk Ryokan.
On the way, I left this road and stopped at the remains of Tsumago Castle, a mountaintop castle dating back to the Sengoku (warring) period (1493-1573). Only a trench and a few other ruins remain, but the magnificent view from the summit takes in the Kisogawa river, small settlements along the river, and the Central Alps in the distance.
