| 23th Station: Shimada |
| History |
There has been one of the three "strangest" festivals in Shimada, called "obi matsuri" (Obi means a broad sash, and matsuri is a festival). The festival is held once every three years, and in the festival, people with a gold ornament apron (you can see this in sumo tournaments), unusual waraji, or straw sandals, two 2-meter long-swords with obi of brocade on each, and a chinese umbrella walk on the street. The festival originally comes from a traditional wedding ceremony in Shimada. In very old days, brides in fine kimono used to visit Ohi shrine first and then inns district. However, people in Shimada thought that brides from different places felt embarassed to show themselves in front of so many people. Therefore, ohyakko, guards of a portable shrine started to show only brides' obi during the shrine's festival. Later, the festival became very big and, there was a very long procession (currently 3km long!) consisting of ohyakko, daimyo procession, portable shrine, dancers of kashima, and procession of famous singers from Edo.
The district did a ferry business, which was a very good business in the Edo period, and it was a very rich district among Tokaido shuku (inn districts). However, crossing the big river (ohi river) was not that easy, and rather, it was a very dangerous job. Therefore, people who made a living from this business had a strong connection with each other and cheered up each other.
Shimada is also famous for the origin of Shimada-mage, a traditional hair style for women during the Edo period. It is said that yujo or prostitutes in Shimada shuku created the hair style.
 |
| Fujieda |
 |
| Kanaya |
 |
| Tokaido route |