The is a historic Japanese distance marker akin to a
milestone, comprising a pair of earthen mounds located in what is now the Shinji neighborhood of the city of
Matsue,
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...
in the
San'in region of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It was designated a
National Historic Site of Japan in 1937.
Overview
During the
Edo period the
Tokugawa shogunate established ''ichirizuka'' on
major roads, enabling calculation both of distance travelled and of the charge for transportation by ''
kago'' or
palanquin.
These mounds denoted the distance in ''
ri'' () typically to
Nihonbashi
is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The current ...
, the "Bridge of Japan", erected in
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
in 1603.
They were typically planted with an
''enoki'' or
Japanese red pine to provide shelter for travelers. Since the
Meiji period, most of the ''ichirizuka'' have disappeared, having been destroyed by the elements, modern highway construction and urban encroachment. In 1876, the "Ichirizuka Abolition decree" was issued by the
Meiji government and many were demolished at that time. Currently, 17 surviving ''ichirizuka'' are designated as national historic sites.
In the case of the Ijimi Ichirizuka the mounds flank the , the highway which connected
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
with
Kyoto via the
Sea of Japan coast. It was constructed by
Matsue Domain in 1607 and is the 5th marker west from
Matsue Castle and the 13th from the border of
Izumo Province
was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region.
History
During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this region was independent an ...
with
Hōki Province. It is one of only three ''ichirizuka'' that have been confirmed in Shimane Prefecture (the others are the
Yasugi Ichirizuka in
Yasui and the
Shussai-Iwano Ichirizuka in
Izumo Izumo (出雲) may refer to:
Locations
* Izumo Province, an old province of Japan
* Izumo, Shimane, a city located in Shimane Prefecture
** Izumo Airport
* Izumo-taisha, one of Japan's most ancient and important Shinto shrines
Ships
* ''Izumo ...
). The north mound is about 5.1 meters in diameter and 1.3 meters in height, and the south mound is about 5.0 meters in diameter and 0.7 meters in height. When designated a National Historic Site, the mounds still had pine trees, with the one on the south mound 16.4 meters tall, and the one on the north mound 15.5 meters. The trees no longer exist. The distance between the mounds is 5.5 meters, which provides evidence of the width of the Edo period Sanindō highway. The Ijimi Ichirizuka is located about 900 meters from
Shōbara Station
is a passenger railway station located in the city of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Shōbara Station is served by the JR West San'in Main Line, and is located 373.0 kilom ...
on the
JR West San'in Main Line.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Shimane)
References
External links
Shimane Prefecture tourism home pageArchaeological database of Shimane{{in lang, ja
Izumo Province
Historic Sites of Japan
History of Shimane Prefecture
Ichirizuka
Matsue, Shimane