 Last additions - Okegawa 桶川市 |
Members of the Princess Kazunomiya procession are introduced on stage at around 2 pm. The procession ends at around 3 pm at Kido-ato (木戸跡). Thanks to A. Shimamura for these photos.Nov 21, 2023
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About halfway on the procession route, they stop at a parking lot where there's a stage. Here's Princess Kazunomiya played by a local lady.Nov 21, 2023
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Princess Kazunomiya on her palanquin in Okegawa-juku. The procession route is on the Nakasendo Road from Okegawa Elementary School to Kido-ato. Nov 21, 2023
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Princess Kazunomiya's palanquin in the procession during the Okegawa Shimin Matsuri (桶川市民まつり) on Nov. 3 (national holiday).. Her real palanquin had no wheels and she was carried by hand. 皇女和宮行列Nov 21, 2023
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The procession route is on the old Nakasendo Road (closed to traffic) starting at 1:30 pm at Okegawa Elementary School. Here's Princess Kazunomiya's banner in front of her palanquin.Nov 21, 2023
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Princess Kazunomiya's palanquin carried on wheels by four guards. The festival is held from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The Nakasendo is closed to traffic and has food stalls.Nov 21, 2023
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The most famous VIP to stay in Okegawa was an emperor's daughter named Princess Kazunomiya (1846–1877) when she was traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo to marry shogun Tokugawa Iemochi.She lodged in Okegawa on Nov. 13, 1861 and her entourage numbered over 30,000. 皇女和宮行列Nov 21, 2023
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Okegawa holds an annual autumn festival called Okegawa Shimin Matsuri (桶川市民まつり) on Nov. 3 (national holiday) when they reenact Princess Kazunomiya's procession traveling through Okegawa-juku.The procession includes women holding safflowers and these chigo festival children.Nov 21, 2023
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Keisai Eisen's print shows a traveler approaching a house to ask for directions to Hikawa Tenman Shrine. A woman farmer is threshing grain, and her husband smoking a pipe in the house. Tobacco leaves are drying from the eaves. A man sits sideways on a pack horse headed in the opposite direction. 岐阻街道 桶川宿 曠原之景Jan 28, 2020
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Oke-chan is Okegawa's official mascot. He is a Nakasendo traveler sporting a safflower on this head.Jan 28, 2020
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Stone tabletsJan 28, 2020
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Jonenji's main worship hall is new, rebuilt in 2004.Jan 28, 2020
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About the gate's Nio statues.Jan 28, 2020
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About Jonenji Temple in Okegawa-juku. It's a Jodo-shu Pure Land Sect Buddhist temple.Jan 28, 2020
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Gate to Jonenji Temple in Okegawa-juku. 浄念寺Jan 28, 2020
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A former Hatago inn for travelers now called the Kobayashi residence. It's now a coffee shop. 旧・旅籠（小林家）Jan 28, 2020
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A former Okegawa-juku Hatago inn for travelers now called the Kobayashi residence. Dates from the Edo Period. 旧・旅籠（小林家）Jan 28, 2020
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From a side street, we could see the roof of the Honjin stil remaining.Jan 28, 2020
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Emperor Meiji also once rested here while passing through in 1878 and there's this stone marker for it at the Honjin gate.Jan 28, 2020
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Only part of Okegawa's Honjin remains today, but it is private property and normally not open to the public. We could only see the entrance gate.During its heyday, Okegawa-juku saw VIP guests such as the Maeda daimyo from Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture) and Tokugawa Nariaki (1800–1860) from Mito (Ibaraki Prefecture). But the most famous VIP to stay in Okegawa was an emperor's daughter named Princess Kazunomiya (1846–1877).Jan 28, 2020
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About Okegawa-juku's Honjin luxury lodge (本陣) where VIP travelers like the emperor, daimyo, shogun, or Imperial princess stayed.Jan 28, 2020
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Another Shimamura family building, now a tea shop sandwiched by modern buildings.Jan 28, 2020
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The Shimamura family storehouse is normally open only on the first Saturday of the month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. However, groups can arrange to enter the storehouse on other days by appointment. (Call the Okegawa Tourist Association.)Jan 28, 2020
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Little Mermaid design.Jan 28, 2020
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Meiji Period dishes.Jan 28, 2020
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Luggage case.Jan 28, 2020
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Third floor with roof beams. Jan 28, 2020
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Inside the earthen wall.Jan 28, 2020
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Stairs to the 3rd floor.Jan 28, 2020
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Edo Period encyclopedia.Jan 28, 2020
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More antique items on the 2nd floor.Jan 28, 2020
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Stairs to the 2nd floor.Jan 28, 2020
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The building is filled with antique items from the old days. Amazing, eclectic collection. Jan 28, 2020
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Entrance to Shimamura family earthen storehouse. It's fireproof and it has proven to be earthquake proof too.Jan 28, 2020
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Shimamura family earthen storehouse roof was recently renovated (島村家住宅土蔵).Jan 28, 2020
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About the Shimamura family earthen storehouse (島村家住宅土蔵). The storehouse is a National Tangible Cultural Property.Jan 28, 2020
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Shimamura family earthen storehouse as built in 1836 as a three-story storehouse to provide employment to construction workers suffering from a bad harvest that year.The storehouse is therefore nicknamed "Otasuke-zo" (お助け蔵) or "Savior Storehouse" for saving people from famine.Jan 28, 2020
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Perhaps Okegawa-juku's most distinctive building is the Shimamura family earthen storehouse (島村家住宅土蔵). Mr. Shimamura was our guide. 島村家住宅土蔵Jan 28, 2020
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Nakasendo Road in Okegawa-juku.Jan 28, 2020
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Former wholesaler of safflower, called the Yabe residence. From the Meiji Period. 穀物問屋（矢部家） Jan 28, 2020
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Small shrine still remaining from the old days.Jan 28, 2020
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What's engraved on Inari Shrine's Power Stone (chikara-ishi). 力石Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine's Power Stone (chikara-ishi) weighs 610 kg. A sumo wreslter once lifted it in 1852 as written on the stone. 力石Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine's Power Stone (chikara-ishi) has to be wet for us to see the engravings. 力石Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine's Power Stone (chikara-ishi). 力石Jan 28, 2020
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About Inari Shrine's Power Stone (chikara-ishi). 力石Jan 28, 2020
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About Inari Shrine's stone lanterns.Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine's stone lanterns were donated by safflower producers. Their names are engraved on the lanterns.Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine's stone lanterns were donated by safflower producers.Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine in Okegawa-juku. This green sacred rope is actually fake, not made of straw. 稲荷神社Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine in Okegawa-juku. 稲荷神社Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine in Okegawa-juku. 稲荷神社Jan 28, 2020
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Inari Shrine in Okegawa-juku. 稲荷神社Jan 28, 2020
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Miniature shrine in a tree trunk. Jan 28, 2020
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Nakasendo Road in Okegawa-juku. Most of it looks modern.Jan 28, 2020
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Our guide showed us the original kanji characters used for "Okegawa." 輿川Jan 28, 2020
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Our guide showed us around Okegawa-juku on foot. All the major spots are within walking distance.Jan 28, 2020
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Make your own Okegawa-juku postcard in three steps. The final print is Keisai Eisen's print of Okegawa-shuku, part of his Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaido series.Jan 28, 2020
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Nakasendo Shukuba-kan has woodblock-style postcard printing in three different colors. It's free.Jan 28, 2020
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Map of Okegawa-juku's main buildings.Jan 28, 2020
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Inside Nakasendo Shukuba-kan (中山道宿場館). Various exhibits and pamphlets about Okegawa-juku. Also a short video. No English.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa Tourist Association (桶川市観光協会) in the Nakasendo Shukuba-kan (中山道宿場館) building right in the middle of the former lodging town.Jan 28, 2020
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About Okegawa-juku.Jan 28, 2020
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Shukuba lodging towns in Saitama Prefecture as shown at the Nakasendo Shukuba-kan (中山道宿場館).Jan 28, 2020
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About Okegawa-juku in Japanese.Jan 28, 2020
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Map of Okegawa-juku showing the old buildings that still remain.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa-juku marker along the Nakasendo.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa-juku was the 6th lodging town (shukuba 宿場) on the old Nakasendo Road (中山道) that connected Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto through an interior route passing through Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu, and Shiga Prefectures.It was about 526 km long and had 69 lodging towns where travelers could lodge and water their horses. A few buildings from this era still remain. This Okegawa manhole has a safflower (benibana) design. Okegawa was a major producer of safflowers.Jan 28, 2020
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Event stage at Benibana Furusatokan.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa Tanpopo Nursery School taiko drummers.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa Tanpopo Nursery School taiko drummers.Jan 28, 2020
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Okegawa Tanpopo Nursery School performed the Ara-uma horse dance (荒馬踊り) backed by taiko drummers.Jan 28, 2020
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When we arrived in Jan. 2020, we were greeted by a wonderful dance and taiko drum performance by kids and parents from the local Okegawa Tanpopo Nursery School (桶川たんぽぽ保育園).Jan 28, 2020
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Large plaza outside Benibana Furusato-kan Hall is used for events.Jan 28, 2020
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Lunch at Benibana Furusato-kan Hall was udon noodles with tempura topping. Saitama is Japan's second largest producer of udon noodles after Kagawa Prefecture.Jan 28, 2020
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Benibana Furusato-kan Hall menu, mainly udon and soba noodles.Jan 28, 2020
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Lunch on the 2nd floor of Benibana Furusato-kan Hall.Jan 28, 2020
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Benibana Furusato-kan Hall (べに花ふるさと館) in Okegawa is mainly a restaurant. It was originally a late 19th century home of an industrialist. It also offers udon-making lessons. From JR Okegawa Station, take the bus and get off at "Beniban"Benibana" means safflower.Jan 28, 2020
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