The is a road in eastern

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

that connects the town of Noheji in the south, to the city of Mutsu to the north. It was established by the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Ge ...

as an extension of the Matsumaedō a sub-route of the

Ōshū Kaidō The was one of the centrally administered Edo Five Routes, five routes of the Edo period. It was built to connect the ''de facto'' capital of Japan at Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Mutsu Province and the present-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima, S ...

, one of the five routes established by

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

for traveling government officials during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Stations of the Tanabu Kaidō

The 5 stations of the Tanabu Kaidō are listed below from south to north. The present-day municipality is listed afterwards in parentheses. :1. Noheji-shukuba (野辺地宿) ( Noheji) :2. Arito (有戸) (Noheji) :3. Yokohama-shukuba (横浜宿) (

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

) :4. Nakanosawa (中野沢) ( Mutsu) :5. Tanabu-shukuba (田名部宿) (Mutsu)

History

The Tanabu Kaidō was established by the

during the

between Noheji-

shukuba were Stage station, staging post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These stage stations, or "" developed around them, ...

and the

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

and

folk religion Folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises, according to religious studies and folkloristics, various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. ...

pilgrimage destination at

Mount Osore is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The temple is located in the caldera of an active volc ...

, a caldera believed in

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contac ...

to be a gate to the underworld, near the former town of Tanabu (now part of Mutsu). The road was a branch of the longer

(now known as National Route 4) that was located entirely within the northern

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū ...

. Pilgrimages along what was to become the road to Mount Osore date back to 862, but its uncertain if the establishment of a maintained road took place before the Nanbu built the Tananbu-kaidō. The Nanbu had a large military camp in Tanabu, so quick movement to the commercial port and border town of Noheji was crucial to the defense of their domain. In the later Edo period, the road gained further defensive significance when foreign ships began to be spotted in the

Tsugaru Strait The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles ...

and

Mutsu Bay is a bay located within Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It has an east-west distance of approximately and a north-south distance of approximately at its eastern end, with a total area of approximately . Na ...

near

Shimokita Peninsula The is the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshū, stretching out towards Hokkaido. Overview It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, Tsugaru Strait to the north and Mutsu Bay to the west and south. Shaped like an ...

. As a result of this, the shogunate ordered the road to be extended to Sai in 1803. In 1808, the Tokugawa shogunate assigned the Nanbu clan responsibility for the defense of a portion of southern

Ezo is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the people and the lands to the northeast of the Japanese island of Honshu. This included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 1869, Nu ...

, further increasing the road's defensive importance to the shogunate and the clan. National Route 279 was established by the

Cabinet of Japan The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of stat ...

along the Tananbu Kaidō between Noheji and Ōma in 1970.

References

{{reflist Roads in Aomori Prefecture Edo-period roads and trails History of Aomori Prefecture

Stations of the Tanabu Kaidō

History

See also

References