When walking on mountain trails in the Japan Alps or on trails in the surrounding countryside, you may find yourself walking on ancient roads without even realizing it. For example, if you climb Mt.Yake-dake from the Nakao Onsen side, there is a shrine called Hidetsuna Shrine just before you reach the ridgeline. When I looked into it later, I learned that Hidetsuna Miki, the feudal lord who ruled Hida during the Sengoku period, was defeated by Hideyoshi Hashiba and ran away from Hida Matsukura Castle with his wife, split into two groups on the way, and his wife crossed Nakao Pass on the islands where Hidetsuna Miki was born. This road seems to have a sad history as they lost their lives in the Nagawa area beyond the Abo Pass and were later enshrined.
There are several ancient roads around the Japan Alps that are still passed down to this day. On the flatlands, there are routes such as Chikuni kaido and Zenkoji Kaido, which were called the salt roads, but in the days when it was difficult to cross mountains, stories were created and history was written on the mountain passes. Zara Pass, Tokugo Pass, Misaka Pass, Goshodaira Pass, and Sanpuku Pass are all passes in the Japan Alps that everyone has heard of that straddle an ancient road. The Nakao Pass from which Lady Hidenaga attempted to flee is a tale of more than 400 years ago, so the forest may not be exactly as it is today, but there is no doubt that travelers have been crossing the pass on foot since that time. How did they feel as they crossed the mountain?
「Maybe it’s the moon that moves forward in the same shadow in a world where everything is only looked at.」 (Saigyou Hoshi)
Times have changed dramatically, and the scenery around here may have changed due to the eruption of Mt. Yake-dake, for example, but the beauty of Mt. Hotaka that travelers looked up at from the banks of the Azusa River remains the same as it always was, and it is a place where you can rest your nostalgic heart. It must be the scenery. One of the best parts of mountain tourism is walking along these paths and feeling how travelers felt in the olden days. Here we introduce a hiking route along an ancient road in the Japan Alps that has been used as a way of life since ancient times. If possible, research the various historical facts related to the path before walking it, and you may feel as if you have time-traveled back in time.
This is a historical road connecting Kai and Ina valleys. The tears of a tragic shogun, the sweat of monks who poured their heart and soul into missionary work, and the quiet mountain paths give us a sense of the history of the Middle Ages.
