Toward the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, an army of ronin (masterless samurai) who had abandoned the Mito Domain under the idea of “sonno jōi” (which essentially means to “expel the Western barbarians while revering the Emperor”) collided with the Takashima and Matsumoto Domains.
Roninzuka was built as a memorial for those who died in the clash. Leaving Roninzuka, it will take about 10 minutes on foot to reach the Chaya Honjin site on your left. Proceed a bit further and walk 25 minutes.
You will be able to see Ichirizuka, a site that was marked as 212 km away from Edo (modern day Tokyo). Knowing that Shimosuwa was just a little further, many travelers must have been encouraged to make the final leg of their journey upon reaching Ichirizuka.
Trip Ideas
Walking the Nakasendo Highway in Shimosuwa
The distance from Wada Post Town to Shimosuwa Post Town was nearly 20 kilometers. Since this stretch of the Nakasendo Highway passed through steep mountains, it was often considered the hardest portion to traverse.
This course starts from Roninzuka, the northernmost checkpoint, passes the Kiotoshizaka Slope, the site for the climax of the Onbashira Festival, Manji no Sekibutsu, a stone Buddha that impressed and surprised the artist Taro Okamoto, both of Shimosha’s Suwa-taisha shrines, a historical townscape, Honjin, Sakigakezuka, and other spots integral to Shimosuwa’s history.
* Use an e-bike and reach these spots in half the time or less! E-bikes can be rented at OIDEYA, but only a limited number are available. Contact them via phone at 0266-27-0001.
total timeAbout 5.5 hours
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01
Toyohashi Station (bus stop)
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02
Roninzuka - Toyohashi Chaya Honjin Site - Ichirizuka
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03
Kiotoshizaka
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04
Suwa Taisha Shimosha Harumiya Shrine
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05
Manji no Sekibutsu (Stone Buddha)
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06
Honjin of Iwanami Family
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07
Junction of the Nakasendo and Koshu Kaido Highways
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08
Shukuba Kaido Museum
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09
Suwa Taisha Shimosha Akimiya Shrine
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10
Sakigakezuka
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11
Nearby Public Bathhouses
01
Toyohashi Station (bus stop)
Located a 25-minute ride from Shimosuwa Station on the Shimosuwa Circuit Bus Azami (Hagikura/Hoshigaoka Lines). Teahouses and other facilities around the Toyohashi area helped it prosper as an entrance to the Wada Pass along the Nakasendo Highway. After disembarking, head down the hill as though you were going back down the road you came from.
About 7 minutes 02
Roninzuka - Toyohashi Chaya Honjin Site - Ichirizuka
Address :3036 Tozawaguchi, Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
About 10 minutes Kiotoshizaka
03
Kiotoshizaka
This is the site where the climactic event of the Onbashira Festival is held. Nearly 100 meters in length and dropping at a precipitously steep 35 degrees, brave locals sit atop massive, 10-ton logs and ride them down this very hill all at once. Straddling the model log at the top of the hill will make you feel just like you’re participating in the festival.
Address :2111 Machiyashiki, Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
About 30 minutes 04
Suwa Taisha Shimosha Harumiya Shrine
It is said that Harumiya was the original holy spot of the Shimosha shrine, and an ancient cedar tree is enshrined here. The heihaiden and katahaiden halls are important cultural properties of Japan, and every year on February 1st, the deity of the Akimiya shrine is welcomed here as part of the Senzasai ceremony. To reach Ukishima Shrine and the Manji no Sekibutsu stone Buddha, use the path through the shrine grounds.
Read more about Harumiya Shrine here.
Address :193 Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
Phone :0266-27-8316
About 5 minutes 05
Manji no Sekibutsu (Stone Buddha)
A Stone Buddha sits amidst a rice paddy to the side of the Harumiya shrine. The unique shape of this two-meter-tall natural boulder with a head propped on top is exquisite and has become well known thanks to praise from prominent figures such as the artist Taro Okamoto.
Read more about this stone Buddha here.
Address :133 Yashiro, Shimosuwa Town, Suwa DIstrict
About 15 minutes 06
Honjin of Iwanami Family
A honjin was an inn used exclusively by high-ranking officials in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Among the honjin located along the Nakasendo highway, Iwanami House is particularly famous for its well-known garden and the fact that Emperor Meiji and Princess Kazunomiya once stayed here. The plants in the garden here have been growing since the Edo Period, and strolling through the area will give you a feel for what it must have been like to live in Shimosuwa all those years ago.
Read more about Honjin here.
Address :3492 Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
Phone :0266-28-7055
About 3 minutes 07
Junction of the Nakasendo and Koshu Kaido Highways
The Koshu Kaido Highway (once called the Koshu Dochu) stretches from Edo (modern day Tokyo), crosses the State of Kai (nowadays Yamanashi Pref.) and eventually converges with the Nakasendo Highway here in Shimosuwa. When Shimosuwa was a post town, it sat at the confluence point of these two highways. As such, it prospered as one of the larger post towns along the highway.
Address :Kinoshita, Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
About 1 minutes 08
Shukuba Kaido Museum
This museum preserves private residences from the post towns of the Edo Period. Valuable historical goods related to post towns from the highways, hot springs, and elsewhere are preserved and displayed here so that visitors can better understand the living conditions of the time.
Address :3530-1 Tatsumachi, SHimosuwa Town, Suwa District
Phone :0266-27-8827
About 5 minutes 09
Suwa Taisha Shimosha Akimiya Shrine
Akimiya is one of the four shrines of Suwa-taisha and enshrined here is an ancient Japanese yew tree. The kaguraden hall with a crossed gable roof and the heihaiden hall are important cultural properties of Japan. There are many things to see here, from the 800-year-old Neiri no Sugi (slumbering cedar) to Japan’s largest bronze komainu (the lion-shaped guard dog in front of shrines). Every year on August 1st, the deity returns from Harumiya shrine as part of Ofune Matsuri.
Read more about Akimiya shrine here.
Address :5828 Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
Phone :0266-27-8035
About 15 minutes 10
Sakigakezuka
During the Meiji Restoration (1868), the Sekihotai (a group of political dissidents) made their way to Edo with the goal of reducing the tax burden. However, they were stopped, arrested, and executed by decapitation right at this very spot. This mound was built as a memorial for Sozo Sagara, the leader of the Sekihotai. Another name for the spot is Sagarazuka.
Address :5360 Kinoshita, Shimosuwa Town, Suwa District
About 10 minutes 11
Nearby Public Bathhouses
Sugeno Onsen, Shin’yu, Koyu, Tanganoyu, and other public bathhouses can be found in Shimosuwa. You can hop in and relax for just 240 JPY! If you’re short of time, be sure to check out the footbaths as well.
Check out all the onsen facilities and footbaths here.