The Bitter End

Art of the Edo Period

The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

42. Kuwana-juku (Kuwana)

Kuwana-juku

Kuwana-juku was the forty-second of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido. It is located in the present-day city of Kuwana, in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It was located on the western shores of the Ibi River and is considered to be the Eastern most point of the Kansai dialect. It is 28 km from the preceding post station of Miya-juku.

History

This post station was located in the castle town of the Kuwana clan. It is connected to Miya-juku through the Pass of 28 km and served as the entrance for those going towards Ise Shrine. Some travelers along the road would take ships across the inner Ise Bay from Miya-juku (located in present-day Nagoya near Atsuta Shrine) to Kuwana, which reputably made the journey more enjoyable.

During the Edo period, Kuwana was directly on the shores of the river, but after Kansai Railroad built Kuwana Station, the city center was shifted further to the west.