Magome, Nakasendo

The city of Nakatsugawa is a thriving market town with a small industrial centre. It consists of three merged former post-towns: Nakatsugawa-juku (#45), Ochiai-juku (#44) and Magome-juku (#43). To the north is the winding Kiso River and to the southeast is Mount Ena with its hiking trails. 

The post-town of Nakatsugawa-juku was also a busy market town and trading centre. It was one of the largest towns in the Edo period, with several shops selling rice, sake, soy sauce and salt, amongst other things. It had more than 30 inns, compared to the small towns that averaged about 8 inns. 

The Hazama Sake Brewery has been making sake - a fermented rice drink with koji and water - in Nakatsugawa-juku since the 18th century. The brewers are the Ma family, originally a samurai family, moved to the area after the Battle of Sekigahara and became one of the wealthiest merchants of the Tokugawa shogunate. The brewery has an enviable view of Mt Ena but even better it has an abundant flow of clean, underground water that is used in the brewery. Calling the sake Mt Ena, their intent is to create a drink as pure and clear as the water.

Ochiai-juku was a small post-town and was dwarfed by its neighbouring Nakatsugawa-juku. It had only half the inns and a third of the population. The honjin survives in pristine condition but nothing else remains. 

At the eastern end of Ochiai-juku is a large stone lantern that was used to light the way. Stone lanterns were located at both ends of a post-town and were lit from dusk till dawn. They were known as joyato, translated as “all-night lights”. Similar lanterns are also found outside shrines.

Stone lanterns, known as Toro, can be found all over Japan. They originated from China and were initially used in Buddhist temples only, lighting the paths. The lit lanterns were considered an offering to Buddha. Between the 8th-12th centuries they became part of Shinto shrines and private homes and then the tea masters popularised their use by having them as garden ornaments. 

Leaving Ochiai-juku, the highway starts to climb and soon I find myself on a stone paved trail in woodland, with the sun streaming through the trees. It is short-lived and as I keep moving forward, wonderful rolling hills present themselves and soon after, I arrive in Magome-juku. 

Magome is a rebuilt town - having been destroyed by fire in 1895 - using traditional architecture that preserves the feel of the Edo period. It is a very popular tourist location with shops lining both sides of the street. Closed to vehicular traffic, the walk up the street, whilst very steep indeed, is beautiful. However, Magome wasn’t always perceived this way. Earlier writings about the town described it as “provincial and loutish” or “leaders of the post town are often in debt, and the town is in bad shape”. Thankfully today, it is clean and lively.

Most visitors reach the top of the hill and then turn back, but it is from here that the trail enters the famous Kiso Valley, exposing the traveller to the prettiest natural section of the entire Nakasendo. I will certainly continue on towards Tsumago-juku.