“Have you ever felt history beneath your feet?” asks a passing historian. Here at Shimura Ichirizuka you can. This isn’t just a place. It’s a tangible link to Japan’s Edo period. Imagine Japan centuries ago.
Shimura Ichirizuka stands as a historic distance marker. It is similar to a milestone. These mounds helped calculate distance. They also determined transportation charges via kago or palanquin.
Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered their construction in 1604. This was the third marker on the Nakasendō highway. The mounds marked three ri or about 12 kilometers from Nihonbashi. Nihonbashi was the “Bridge of Japan” in Edo. It was erected in 1603.
Each mound occupies a three-by-three-meter area. They stand one meter high. Enoki trees are planted on them. The mounds are on what is now Japan National Route 17.
Most ichirizuka disappeared after the Meiji period. Elements and modern construction destroyed them. The Meiji government even issued an “Ichirizuka Abolition” decree in 1876.
Seventeen surviving ichirizuka are now national historic sites. The Shimura Ichirizuka mounds were preserved. They were wider apart than the norm. The road widening project in 1933 did not affect them. This small detail saved them.
The mounds remain a testament to a bygone era. They offer a glimpse into the lives of travelers long ago. They serve as a reminder of the distances people journeyed. They also embody the history of Japan’s roadways.
Today Shimura Ichirizuka is a National Historic Site. It was designated in 1922. The designation was expanded in 1935. It is a short walk from Shimura-sakaue Station on the Toei Mita Line. Stop and ponder the past. Feel the echoes of travelers who passed this way centuries ago.