Walking along the Koshu Kaido - Discovering right-angled bends! | Isawa-juku - Kofu Yanagimachi-juku

When an old highway approaches a major city, it may have a right angle bend.

There are two right-angle bends on the Koshu Kaido approaching Kofu.

Isawa-juku

I started walking from Ishiwa Onsen Station. There was a lot of snow left from yesterday’s fall.

About 800 meters south of the station, there is an intersection at the entrance of Ishiwa Onsen Station, which is the Koshu Kaido.

The intersection is in Fuefuki City, but it soon becomes Kofu City.

Kofu Yanagimachi-juku

山梨県立青少年センターの標柱

Signpost of Yamanashi Prefectural Youth Center

Sakaori-no-miya

One kilometer west of the intersection at the entrance to Ishiwa Onsen Station, there is the Yamanashi Prefectural Youth Center. According to a marker in front of the center, the Takeda clan had lived in Kawada-cho for generations, and moved to Tsutsujigasaki (where the Takeda Shrine is located) during the reign of Nobutora Takeda (Shingen’s father). Perhaps they lived along Koshu Kaido for many years because it was convenient for transportation.

日本武尊御舊跡の石標

A stone marker at the site of Yamatotakeru no Mikoto

When I came to the vicinity of Yamanashi Gakuin University, I found a stone monument that said “Yamatotakeru no Mikoto Gokuseki (Historic Site).” You will find out the reason for this a little further down the road.

 

山梨学院大学

Yamanashi Gakuin University

At Yamanashi Gakuin University, they were praying for the victory of the Hakone Ekiden.

酒折宮碑

Shaori Shrine Monument

After passing in front of Sakaori Station, there is a road that turns right, and after crossing the Chuo Line, there is a shrine. This is the Sakaori Shrine.

酒折宮にある連歌の碑

The monument of renga poetry at the Sakaori Shrine

The following is a description of this shrine in the Kojiki and other records.

When Yamatotakeru no Mikoto stayed in this place on his way back from the Eastern Expedition, “Nhibari Tsukuba wo sugite ikuyo ka netsuru? (How many nights did we sleep after passing Tsukuba, Nibari (now Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture)?)”

In response, an old man named Mihitaki said, “Kaganabete yoniha kokonoyo hini ha tooka wo (Nine nights for the night and ten days).”

Because of this event, it is said that Sakaori is the birthplace of renga poetry. This is also the reason why it is considered to be the historic site of Yamatotakeru no Mikoto.

Right-angled bend

About 500 meters from the shrine, the road makes a small right-angled bend. After another 1km, the road makes a large right-angled bend. This is a sign that you are getting closer to Kofu.

The name of the station on the Minobu Line near the large right-angled bend is Kanente. The name of this station comes from the word “Kaginote (Right-angled bend).”

五味醤油の釜

Cauldron of Gomi Soy Sauce

There was a cauldron at Gomi Soy Sauce Manufacturing just after the turn. I guess it was a cauldron used for boiling soybeans. It looks very old.

Many of the sidewalks in the city of Kofu are tiled, and on a day like today, when there was still snow on the ground, there were many places where it was dangerous to slip.

上石田のサイカチ

Gleditsia japonica of Kamiishida

After passing through Kofu City and crossing the Arakawa Bridge, there is a huge tree. It is a 300-year-old tree called the “Gleditsia japonica of Kamiishida. It is a deciduous tree, so there are no leaves on it.

The explanatory board says that the gleditsia japonica is a tree that grows in damp places along the river bank, and originally grew beside the Kugagawa River, but was left in the city because the flow of the Kugagawa River changed.

Ryuoh station

甲斐市

Kai City

When you pass through the Chuo Expressway, you will be in Kai City. The symbol of Kai City is based on the initial letter “K”, and is said to resemble a heart.

By the way, the names of cities in Yamanashi Prefecture, such as Koshu City, Kai City, Yamanashi City, and Chuo City, all refer to Yamanashi itself, and people outside the prefecture have no idea where they are located. It would have been nice if they had made the city names a little more unique.

竜王駅

Ryuoh Station

Ryuoh Station was a magnificent looking station building. It was designed by Ando Tadao.

竜王駅から甲府方面を見たときの眺め

View from Ryuoh Station looking toward Kofu

This is a photo taken from Ryuoh Station looking towards Kofu.

The tracks in this section were straight, weren’t they?

Walking data

Course: JR Chuo Line, Ishiwa Onsen Station -> Ishiwa-juku -> Kofu Yanagi-juku -> JR Chuo Line, Ryuoh Station
Distance: 13.4km
Time: 3h49m

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