江戸時代の熊野詣の復活

One of the TV dramas I often watched as a child was “Mito Komon.”

I think it was partly because I loved history. Maybe Kagero Ogin made my heart race.

Mito Komon traveled all over the country, and in real life, Kaku-san and Suke-san also traveled there on business, but

Ordinary people were not allowed to travel without a reason.

There were strict inspections at checkpoints, with travelers being required to show their travel passes, with rules like “guns in, women out.”

However, pilgrimages were apparently permitted.

“Tokaido Chu Hizakurige” is also a story about pilgrimages to Ise Shrine.

Perhaps the shogunate’s main concern at the time was banning Christianity.

The saying “to Ise Shrine seven times, Kumano shrine three times” is said to be an analogy for the endlessness of faith, but

As the world became more peaceful and the merchant economy developed, pilgrimages became more popular.

It is said that by the mid-Edo period, more than 4.8 million people made pilgrimages to Ise Shrine.

During the Edo period, the Kishu domain included present-day Wakayama Prefecture and even the cities of Kumano and Ise on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula, and had a fief of approximately 560,000 koku.

This shows how little rice was grown there.

Yoriyoshi, one of the Tokugawa Gosanke (three main branches of the Tokugawa family), became the lord of the Kishu domain. It seems that Yoriyoshi placed great importance on road maintenance in his domain administration.

As a result, the Kii Road, Nakahechi Road, Ōhechi Road, and Ise Road were redeveloped.

The Tokugawa government appears to have focused on road maintenance nationwide. This was partly for the daimyo’s alternate attendance schedules, and probably also for military purposes. They developed the Five Highways (Tokaido, Nakasendo, Nikko Kaido, Kōshū Kaido, and Ōshū Kaido), and also developed other major roads known as side roads. The Ise Road was included in these side roads.

I believe the Kumano Kodo was also developed as part of this policy. You often see cobblestone roads on ancient roads, and most of them were developed during the Edo period. In my neighborhood, the road that descends from Ushiumadoji on Hashiori Pass to Chikutsuyu Village is paved with cobblestones and is a steep downhill slope. It’s especially slippery on rainy days, so you have to be very careful when walking. Apparently, this is because people in the Edo period walked in straw sandals, so the cobblestones were less slippery. Foreigners also have a hard time walking on this road, as they wear rubber-soled trekking shoes.

However, a local storyteller told me that tying a straw rope from the sole of your trekking shoes to the top of your foot makes them much less slippery.

Anyway, during the Edo period, the Kumano Kodo was developed under the name Kumano Kaido.

The road was widened, mileposts were erected, post towns, checkpoints, and horse-riding stations were established.

Nagaozeki, a World Heritage Site, is one of those checkpoints, and the remains of a horse-riding station remain near Tsugisakura Oji.