is a mountain pass through the southern end of the

Kiso Mountains are a mountain range in Nagano and Gifu prefectures in Japan. They are also called the and they combine with the Hida Mountains ("Northern Alps") and the Akaishi Mountains ("Southern Alps") to form a group collectively known as the Japanese Al ...

, connecting the city of

Nakatsugawa, Gifu Magome-juku on the Nakasendō is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,930, and a population density of 120 persons per km2 in 30,788 households The total area of the city was . Geography Nakatsugawa is in ...

with the village of

Achi, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 6,379 in 2360 households, and a population density of 30.7 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Geography Achi is located in mountaino ...

. The highest point on the pass is . The pass is accessible by car via a forestry road from the Gifu side; however, due to the danger of falling rocks, the road on the Nagano side of the pass is closed to vehicular traffic. The modern 8600-meter Enayama Tunnel on the Chūō Expressway is located approximately a kilometer north of the pass.

Overview

The Misaka Pass is the highest point on the ancient

Tōsandō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. It is part of the ''Gokishichidō'' system. It was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshu, specifically th ...

highway connecting Ina District in

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

with Ena District in Mino Province. It is mentioned in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

'' Nihon Shoki'' chronicles as a location where the legendary warrior

Yamato Takeru , originally , was a Japanese semi-legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. His name written in kanji can vary, in the '' Nihon Shoki'' it is spelled 日本武尊 a ...

was harassed by mountain ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' on his way to conquer eastern Japan, and where he shot and killed a white deer which was an avatar of the ''kami'' on his return journey. This legend was a reflection of the evil reputation of the pass, which was steep, isolated, and long, and often plagued by bandits who preyed on travelers. The pass is mentioned in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

and

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

poetry anthologies, including the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

'' and '' Kokin Wakashū'', the '' Genji Monogatari'', ''

Konjaku Monogatarishū , also known as the , is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales fr ...

'', and '' Ugetsu Monogatari''. The route of the later Nakasendō highway avoided Misaka Pass by detouring through the

Kiso Valley The is a geographical area that centers on the valley of the upper portions of the Kiso River in the southwestern part of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It is a v-shaped valley with length of approximately 60 km (36 mi) that follows the r ...

, and by the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

the original route was gradually abandoned.

National Historic Site

In 1921, fragments of Sue ware pottery and other artifacts were discovered in the pass, and per an

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

in 1967, more than 1300 artifacts were discovered, including a ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

'' tumulus with a diameter of four meters and height of 0.7 meters. Artifacts ranged from fragments of bronze mirrors, knives and swords, various types of Sue ware and

Haji ware is a type of plain, unglazed, reddish-brown Japanese pottery or earthenware that was produced during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was used for both ritual and utilitarian purposes, and many examples have been found ...

pottery, and beads, including cylindrical, spherical, ''

magatama are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period, approximately 1000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The beads, also described as "jewels", were made of primitive stone and eart ...

'' and others. These artifacts dated from the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

through the early

and are presumed to have been ritual offerings from travelers for safety from the malevolent ''kami'' and other supernatural forces when attempting to cross the summit of the pass. The pass was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1981. It is located about one hour by car from

Iida Station is a railway station on the Iida Line in the city of Iida, Nagano, Japan, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It is the main station of the city. Lines Iida Station is served by the Iida Line and is 129.3 kilometers from th ...

on the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

Iida Line.

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Misaka-toge Landforms of Gifu Prefecture Landforms of Nagano Prefecture Nakatsugawa, Gifu Achi, Nagano Historic Sites of Japan Shinano Province Mino Province Mountain passes of Japan

Overview

National Historic Site

See also

References

External links