Minakuchi was well-known for the production of kanpyoo or dried gourd shavings, and Hiroshige also depicted the scene of the production. Kanpyoo is now produced in just part of this area.

Minakuchi has an interesting legend of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a founder of the Edo (Tokugawa) Shogunate. Just before the Sekigahawa no kassen (Sekigahara war) in 1600, which was famous as the starting point of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu was invited to a tea party at his new tea room by Chosoku masaie, a feudal lord in Minakuchi. Ieyasu accepted this invitation but there was a trick in the tea room; there was a device to dropping into the Nosu river. Luckly Ieyasu noticed this trick in advance and ran away with a kago, or palanquin for women.

• Distance from Nihonbashi: 441.4 km

Tsuchiyama

Ishibe

Tokaido route

• Go back to Tokaido 53 tsugi

• Go home

• Go back to Hiroshige's page