The Bitter End

Art of the Edo Period

The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

37. Fujikawa-shuku (Okazaki)

Fujikawa-shuku

Fujikawa-shuku was the thirty-seventh of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido. It is located in the present-day city of Okazaki, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Akasaka-juku, the preceding post station. Another accepted reading for this post town is "Fujikawa-juku."

History

At its peak, Fujikawa-juku was home to 302 buildings, including one honjin, one sub-honjin and 36 hatago. Its total population was approximately 1,200 people.

The classic ukiyoe print by Ando Hiroshige (Hoeido edition) from 1831 to 1834 depicts a daimyo procession on sankin-kotai entering the post station, which would have been a common occurrence. Three commoners are shown as kneeling as the lord's retinue passes.

The Okazaki city government has been working actively on preserving this old post town as a tourist destination. In addition to creating the Fujikawa-shuku Archives Museum within the preserved waki-honjin, detailing the history of the post town, the city has preserved a number of old structures such old street lights, and traditional houses with lattice windows. A line of old pine trees extending for approximately a kilometer marks the location of the Tokaido road.