Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins and Kumakawa juku　一乗谷朝倉氏遺跡、熊川宿

April 12^th. 2024

Michi no eki Zen no Sato is ok for an overnight but not I imagine at weekends or high season.

Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins

Yesterday was geological time but today is more 17^th Century Japan as we set off for Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins. This is a spot of great historical importance.

The site was at one time an important town of some 10,000 inhabitants and the seat of the powerful Asakura warlords for 103 years from the mid 15th century. Though they was evidently not as powerful as Oda Nobunaga who laid the place to waste.

All that remains are the foundation stones of numerous buildings and garden layouts. There is a relatively small area of reconstructed buildings that give some indication of the lifestyle of the common folk in the Asakura of that time.

 

 

Although it is mostly a flat area of empty spaces, the place deserves a visit as Lord Asakura clearly picked a good spot for his town apart from its vulnerability of course.

It is a beautiful valley and provides ample space to walk with the bonus of observing the garden remains and imagining the thriving community. With the trees just coming into leaf and the patches of cherry blossom forming a backdrop it appeared idyllic.

The entrance fee for the reconstructed area was 330 yen but for the over 70’s just 100yen.

We had planned to picnic in this beautiful spot but there are no convenience stores in the vicinity. In the end we drove to the Echizen coast which does not offer many picnic sites of comparable caliber but is well supplied with convenience stores.

Kumakawajuku　熊川宿

Next, we visit Kumakawajuku. This is one of the once important post towns on the trade and travel route of Edo Japan. In this case, the town was on the Saba Kaido or mackerel road. So called as it was the route for the trade in saba and kombu from the Japan Sea to Kyoto. The kombu came from Hokkaido by sea to, probably, Obama as the mackerel came from there, and then by road to Demachi Yanagi in Kyoto.

Kumakawajuku is ostensibly a street of old houses though very few are old or traditional as the place burnt down 15 times. Many are empty and a few are derelict. Not the most impressive of the post towns we have visited.

From the juku we head for michi no eki Mikatagoko. We have stayed here before. It is down by the water of one of the five lakes with easy access to the lake side.

This is its main redeeming feature. The facilities are limited but passable. Perhaps, uniquely it does not provide rubbish bins for even cans and pet bottles though it collects money from the various vending machines.