NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA DAY 3

Day 3 Sendai → Kokufu-tagajo →

SHIOGAMA PORT
(MARINE GATE)

Shiogama → Matsushima
Distance and elevation
HON-SHIOGAMA
STATION

Total walking distance approximately 9 km/5.6 miles

SHIOGAMA
SHRINE

Kokufu-tagajo→ OPTIONAL: Matsushima

Shiogama (Marine Gate): Century Hotel→Fukuura
Distance: 6.4 km/4 miles Island (loop)
Elevation: + 121 / - 119 m Distance: 2.6 km/1.3 miles
Max Grade: 27 % Elevation: + 27 / - 27 m
Avg. Grade: 0.5 % Max Grade: 6.1 %
SHRINE (TOILET
SOSHANOMIYA

AVAILABLE)

Avg. Grade: -0.3 %

MUTSU-

Overview
Walking course options
SHELTERED LUNCH

RECOMMENDED WALKING COURSE:

SPOT

Take an early morning train from Sendai and arrive Kokufu-

Tagajo station. Along the way, buy a picnic lunch to eat later
in the day. From Kokufu-Tagajo, an optional visit to nearby
Tohoku History Museum is followed by your main walk of
the day: a 6.4 km stroll from the station to Shiogama Port
TAGAJO CASTLE

(Marine Gate). The route is primarily along asphalt road and

REMAINS

sections of grass/gravel path, as well as up a steeper stone

staircase. Along the way, visit the Tusbo-no-ishibumi, one of
Japan s three oldest stone memorials that, in fact, brought
Basho to tears. The site of Tagajo Castle s remains and the
impressive Shiogama Shrine grounds are highlights of the
day. Your goal is Shiogama Port, aiming to catch a boat
leaving for Matsushima (last departure 3:00pm). Following
Basho s own boat course through the bay, pass the iconic
TSUBO-NO-ISHIBUMI
STONE MONUMENT

pine-tree covered islands that give Matsushima its name. On

arrival, walk to your nearby hotel, choose a dinner time and
either head straight to the inviting onsen baths, or back out
to tour nearby Fukuura Island. Known for its biodiversity and
scenic harbor views, the circuit trail is not to be missed for
those with some extra energy at the end of the day. Return
KOKUFU-TAGAJO

to a sumptuous dinner at the hotel.

STATION

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DAY 3 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA

Day 3 Recommended course:

Walking directions from Kokufu-Tagajo Station
Good Morning! “Ohayo Gozaimasu!”
WHEN CHECKING OUT OF YOUR HOTEL, PLEASE BE SURE TO PAY FOR ANY MEALS/DRNKS
AND RETURN YOUR ROOM KEY!I

・From Kokufu-Tagajo you have the choice of visiting the

Tohoku History Museum next door, or prioritizing your walk to
Shiogama Port.

・At Kokufu-Tagajo, climb the platform stairs up to the ticket

gates. If no one is on hand, you may just walk through the
open ticket gate to the right. ★If foregoing the museum
visit and walking directly from the station, we recommend
30m
using the toilets directly outside the ticket gates.

3-1/ A tour of
Tohoku History
Museum
OPTIONAL MUSEUM visit: To visit the Tohoku
History Museum, exit ticket gates, go LEFT (South 50m
exit) down the corridor and take the stairs down.
The museum will be immediately to your left, but
the main entrance is a further 150m down the path 150m
here and to the right. ★For details
on the museum, please see your
supplementary notes for this day.

50m To START YOUR WALK: Exit the ticket gates, and

use the elevator opposite or go RIGHT (North
exit) and follow the stairs down to street level.
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Walking directions: Kokufu-Tagajo to Shiogama Port

・Start your walk along Basho s course at the station s North
3-2 / Photo: exit street level. There will be a cul-de-sac and map of the
View from the
station
surrounding area to your right.

・At the bottom of the stairs, continue STRAIGHT (or if facing

the map, turn left) and walk to where a small path begins,
3-3 / Photo running parallel to the train tracks. (If you have taken the elevator
down, follow straight behind it.) ★ You may also pass a trailer 30m
run by the local tourist association here, with occasional English
information available.

3-4 / More
info on the
・Walk along this path and follow the wooden steps up a
remains small grassy hill. This is, in fact, a remnant of Tagajo Castle s 60m
administrative settlement. Blue signs (in Japanese) mark the way
to Tagajo Castle

Follow the pipe barrier-lined path left over the hill and continue
down to the right.

50m

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 DAY 3 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA

・On the gravel path, passing a number of ume (Japanese apricot or

plum ) trees on your left, soon reach a road. Crossing straight over,
85m
the road, continue on gravel path. ★If there is a chain in place here,
simply walk around it.

・Continue on, passing a dirt soccer field and turn RIGHT after the 150m
bicycle barriers.

・Follow STRAIGHT across the street and you will be passing the site
3-5/Basho, of Tagajo s Ayame Matsuri iris festival. Made to commemorate Basho s
Sendai and
irises visit to the area, if lucky, you will be here in the blooming season.

150m

★ Vegetation note: Shobu “sweet flag” and ayame “Japanese iris” would have been
blooming as Basho arrived in Tagajo, though the suge “sedge” fields he mentions as
famous in the area would have a been another variety of similar-looking grass. Regardless,
a local Ayame Matsuri (“Iris Festival”) is held here every June to commemorate Basho’s
passing through. The iris is also important in Japan as a seasonal symbol used to mark
Tango-no-sekku (traditionally “Boy’s Day” or “Feast of the Banners”, and now Children’s
Day , a national holiday celebrated on May 5th). Often placed in the entranceway or on
the roof of a home in late April and early May, the iris’s long leaves are said to resemble a
samurai sword’s scabbard, keeping evil spirits away and helping raise strong children.

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 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA DAY 3

・Just after a small, wooden building and before the

iris fields/beds, turn LEFT at a small path leading
straight on and up the nearby hill.

・Ascending some (somewhat uneven)

stone steps, come to a split in the
path at the top of the hill.

115m

・Go RIGHT here along the stone-lined path. Just

ahead you will see the sheltered covering of the
Tsubo-no-ishibumi stone monument. Erected in 762
CE and engraved with 141 characters, it is one of the
oldest stone memorials in Japan and, as a testament
to the ages, is a site that brought Basho to tears.

3-6/More on Basho 50m

and the monument

Tagajo: Tsubo-no-ishibumi (Basho, 24 June 1689)

Following a map provided by Kaemon we took the narrow
road to the North alongside a mountain and were able
to see the sedge field used to make the well-known ten
stranded mats. Apparently locals still make ten stranded
mats and present them to the regional Governor.
The Tsubo stone monument is within the grounds of Taga Fortress in the village of
Ichikawa. The height of this stone monument is over 1.8 metres and its width I would
guess is about 0.9 metres. Scraping away the moss, faint characters can be read on
the stone s surface. They include the distances to neighbouring national borders in
all directions. And the inscription: This Castle was built [Basho misspelt this: the place
and distance (sic)] in the first year of Jinki (724) by the travelling inspector, courtier
and General Ono-no-asomi-no-Azumabito. It was repaired in the sixth year of Tempyo-
hoji (762) by Councillor, courtier, Governor of the Eastern Sea and Eastern Mountain
districts, General Emi-no-asomi[-no- Asakari]. 1 December .
The first year of Jinki was during the reign of Emperor Shomu. Many are the places
that have been made famous in poetry of the past. But mountains erode, rivers
change their course, roads are improved, and famous stone monuments are buried
and hidden under the soil. Famous trees grow old and die and are replaced by new
growth. Generations go by and most famous monuments of old are lost to the passing
years. However, here I stand before a monument which without a doubt represents a
thousand years. I feel a strong affinity with the people of ancient times. This emotion
is the pilgrim s reward. This is the reward life can bring. I forget the hardships of the
road and am moved to tears.

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DAY 3 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA

・Continue down the dirt path to the road next to the Tsubo- 33m
noishibumi monument s shelter. Turn LEFT at the road and
then soon RIGHT to cross it.

The stone marker here in

Japanese says 史跡多賀城
跡( Historic Site of Tagajo
Castle Remains ) and you
can see the excavated
staircase of the site ahead.

・Continue straight and follow RIGHT 150m

(off the asphalt) at the T-junction, then
soon left to head up the excavated
stone steps of the Tagajo Castle site.

Before the excavated stairs, which date back

to at least the 10th Century, you will pass a
number of protective stone tablets here. They
3-7/ More are engraved with Bonji (variations on Sanskrit
on protective lettering), Buddhist sutras and homages to Amida
deity stones Buddha and Batou-Kannon (the Horse-headed
Goddess of Compassion), among others. These would have likely been
・
placed here in the Edo period to protect travellers, and as current site
excavations only began in the 1970s, it might have been all that Basho
saw here beyond a flattened hill.

TAKE YOUR TIME HEADING UP THE APPROXIMATELY

APPROXIMATLEY 40 STEPS HERE,
40-STAIR ASHERE,
INCLINE THEY ARE MEANT
AS THEY
TO DECEIVE!
WIDE SPACINGWIDELY-SPACED, UNEVENTHIS
IS MEANT TO DECEIVE! STEPS LEADING
WAS UP CASTLES/FORT
A COMMON HILLS WERE A
DEFENSIVE MEASURE
COMMON DEFENSIVE MEASURE, AIMING TO TIRE OUT AND SLOW ENEMY ATTACKS.

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Tagajo Castle remains:

The stone stairs here would have lead up to the main
South gate of Tagajo Castle (and rightly, as this was a
fortuitous direction: i.e. toward the sun goddess and
away from the demons and barbarians that originate in
the North). Excavation began in 1985 and a layer of ash
from Mount Towada in Aomori Prefecture dates them to
at least before the 10th Century. At the top, you will see
the foundation stones of the gate and, further on, the
main administrative buildings of the complex, as well as
the foundations of the earthen wall that surrounded it.

Tagajo Castle was a josaku 城柵 (literally fortress ,

but more so a fortified governmental office) that
prospered through the early Heian period (late 7th
century up to mid 9th century) when the central
government ruled from Nara and imposed the
Ritsuryousei or codified penal and local administration
laws. The local Emishi resisted this centralisation
and deprivation of their land. Tagajo was the most
important regional office in the country of Mutsu and
as such was burnt down by the Emishi in 780 in a 20
year war. Tagajo was rebuilt over four times.

At one time there were over 1200 people living

around Tagajo in a township at the bottom
of the hill around the marshy lands. The town
had developed some sophisticated drainage
methods and wooden drain pipes have been
unearthed. The axis of the town was a road
pointed westwards towards Nara, the capital.
Indeed the monument stone itself is faced west
towards Nara. About 500 of the townspeople
were soldiers gathered from Fukushima. About
20 people were administrators from the capital Nara. The rest were artisans, farmers
and Emishi who had surrendered. More recently in 1972 burnt tiles were excavated.
Around the early 9th century the central government begins to collapse and the
local prosperous families gained economic and political influence. In the case of
Tagajo, this was the Fujiwara Family of Ooshu who ruled the area from Hiraizumi for
over 100 years and were later defeated by Minamoto Yoritomo.

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DAY 3 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA

FROM HERE, YOUR PICNIC LUNCH SHELTER IS NEARBY (650M ON). IT IS 3KM TO
SHIOGAMA SHRINE, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER 1.6KM TO SHIOGAMA PORT (MARINE GATE).

・Walk straight through the

Tagajo Castle site grounds and
reach an asphalt lane on the
other side. Turn RIGHT here,
following the lane
down. 150m

・Follow the curve of the lane LEFT. ＊Note the

blue signs with white lettering and arrows. You
will pass a building and sign (in English) marking
the former site of a temple connected to Tagajo
70m
Castle. ＊There is also a public toilet here in the
parking lot opposite.

・Follow the blue signs 50m

and concrete (i.e.
not gravel) path as it
curves RIGHT and then
again LEFT, narrowing
to a concrete footpath.

＊You should now be heading up through a small

sugi (Japanese cedar) tree glen. The path continues past some homes and
opens to small gardens often planted with negi (Allium fistulosum) spring 250m
onion, potatoes, cabbage, corn and daikon (Raphanus sativus) winter
radish.

・Reach another larger

road. Cross it and turn
RIGHT. Walk along the 120m
road until you reach a
path soon opening to
the LEFT.

PLEASE TAKE CARE AS YOU WALK ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS THERE IS MORE TRAFFIC HERE!

・Follow the path left

off the road and then
immediately RIGHT, up
into forest cover. You
should be able to see
your PICNIC LUNCH
shelter soon ahead.

50m

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 NIKKO→ KOKUFUTAGAJO→SHIOGAMA→MATSUSHIMA DAY 3

・After lunch, walk back to and continue along the

40m main asphalt road. ★You may walk straight through
the field here from the picnic shelter.

・Continue on the road to nearby toilets

and Mutsu-shoshanomiya Shrine.

120m

Mutsu-shoshanomiya Shrine 陸奥総社宮

The old province of Mutsu 陸奥 once encompassed
sections of current Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima, Aomori
and Akita prefectures. Also known as Oshu 奥州 or
Michinoku 道奥 (i.e. “back-country road”), the primary
character oku “奥 is the same one Basho uses to
entitle his book, and it describes the “deepness” or the
“far back” nature of his venture into the North. As Mutsu encompassed such a broad swath of
land, it also had its fair share of gods, and in order to provide a sense of identity and unity to
the region, they would often be consolidated into site-specific, spiritual “hot spots”. As such,
Mutsu-shoshaniomiya Shrine is said to house 100 deities from local shrines all over Mutsu. It is
a pivotal stop for pilgrims on their way to visit the province’s ichinomiya ( “primary shrine”) of
Shiogama Jinja, which you will see later today. As a smaller shrine, Mutsu-soshanmoiya is more
subdued in nature, and you may enjoy walking around the grounds and communing with the
natural landscale here before encountering the (often more lively) scene at Shiogama. There is a
600-year old Japanese cedar, as well as a 200-year olf white magnolia tree on the grounds.
・Continue walking along the roadside.
LEAVING THE SHRINE, YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALY EXITING TAGAJO CITY (POPULATION
APPROXIMATELY 60,000) AND ENTERING SHIOGAMA CITY (APPROXIMATELY 55,000).
AGAIN, BE WARY OF TRAFFIC HERE! YOU WILL BE ON THIS APSHALT ROAD FOR THE NEXT
2KM UNTIL REACHING THE BASE OF SHIOGAMA SHRINE.

780m ・Continuing past the shrine, eventually reach a split

in the road. Remain straight on the flat/narrower
road (i.e. DO NOT head down right).

・Reach a traffic light and larger/busier road.

250m Waiting for the light, cross the street at
the crosswalk. Pass the shop with a yellow
Beetle sign (on your left) and continue
STRAIGHT (i.e. up the more narrow road).

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・Up and over the road s hill (passing a community vegetable garden),
750m
head down the other side. ★The sidewalk on the left-hand side of the
road is safer. Soon reach a tunnel going under the train tracks.

・Head straight through the tunnel

and across the larger road at the
traffic light.

・You will soon see

reach the torii gate
and famous 202 step
staircase leading up
to Shiogama Shrine
on your left.

250m

★Head up the steps to visit Shiogama Shrine and tour the grounds. If following
our recommended route, you will NOT be coming back down the same
way. Though the shrine site is well worth the climb to the top, if knees and backs
are not willing, you may also continue walking along the current road and follow
directions from the next torii gate on your left (i.e. the exit of the shrine visit).

A Visit to Shiogama Shrine 塩 神社の参り

Shiogama jinja (“salt furnace shrine”), founded in the 9th Century and
designated as an ichinomiya (the highest ranking for shrines in the
Shinto hierarchy) was renovated extensively by the ruling Date clan
from the start of the Edo period. On arrival, Basho states: “The Shrine
was once [in 1607] restored by Date Masamune himself, feudal lord
of the province. For this reason its main
pillars stood thick, the painted rafters were dazzling, and the stone approach steps
rose to a great height. Its vermilion fencing shone in the morning sunlight. The fact
that the virtue of the Gods and Buddha are remarkable even in this back region is
an invaluable expression of our Nation’s culture.” Basho would have passed under
the same large torii gate here (built in 1663) and climbed the steep, and granted,
somewhat intimidating 202 stair boulevard up to the shrine. The staircase itself may
be viewed as a protective measure, providng a last resort for defense/retreat against
enemy attack, as well as a path to sanctuary in the event of natural disasters. The
height of Shiogama Shrine itself was particularly fortuitous, as records show it was
built at least fifty years before a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit
the area in 869. (On par with the 2011 tsunami, sediment was washed 4km inland
and even Tagajo Castle suffered extensive damage). →

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→ A Visit to Shiogama Shrine 塩 神社の参り ( Continued )

Climbing the stairs, you will pass a unique pair of komainu lion-dogs dating back
to the Edo period (1775). Meant to ward away evil spirits, these statues typically
have one mouth open and one mouth closed. Signifying the start of the Japanese
alpahabet “ah” and the end “un”, they symbolize entry into a spiritual domain
encompassing everything in the universe (from “ah” to “un”, A to Z, the Alpha and
the Omega, the first and last breath...one can also draw comparisons to the mantric
“Aum” sound representing “The Absolute” in Sanskrit and Buddhist traditions).

Arriving at the top of the shrine, you will pass through the vermillion-lacquered
Zuishin-mon gate. This is guarded by the zuishin kami (warrior spirit-gods in the
Shinto tradition, as opposed to the more muscular Nio Kings that guard Buddhist
temples) and is one of fourteen Important Cultural Properties on the site. Before
entering the main shrine grounds, you may choose
to purify yourself at the spring basin to your left. It
is protocol to use one ladeful and to wash first one
hand, then the other, followed by putting some water in your hand and rinsing out your
mouth (if inclined), before tipping up the ladel and using the last of the water to rinse
off its handle. ＊To note: all of this is done outside the basin.

Just before the final entry at the Sakura-mon “cherry tree” gate, you will pass two of the possibly most famous
komainu lion-dogs in Tohoku. Dating back to 1747 and considered a good example of of Sendai-style stonework,
they have a unique stature and facial features, including protruding teeth and large, bulbous eyes (some
comparisons have been made to the haniwa clay dolls discovered in Tohoku centuries before...and sometimes
connected to alien conspiracy theories). The tree to your right, giving the opposing gate its name, is one of
31 “Shiogama cherries” on the shrine grounds, a unique variety cultivated here and designated as a natural
monument.

Within the main shrine grounds, you will see

an iron and copper lantern to your immediate
left, donated by the ninth generation of the Date
family in 1809, as well as a stone sundial (built
1792) ahead at the main hall of the shrine. This
honden hall houses two of the shrine’s three
main deities: Takemikazuchi (or the “Thunder
God”) and Futsunushi (a god associated with
swords and lightning). To your right is a separate
sanctuary housing the deity Shiotsuchi-Oji-no-Kami, or the“old man of the
sea”, who taught villagers here how to make salt from ocean water, thus giving the town it’s namesake: “Shio-
gama” (denoting the “salt furnace” processing technique). Salt in paticular is an important purifying element in the
Shinto tradition, placed outside doorways to keep away evil spirits (as well as thrown in heaps by sumo wrestlers
to purify their holy wrestling ring). Combined with its ability to preserve food and, by default sustain armies, a
town with a knack for salt production would truly be blessed, and its protective shrine an important one. The three
dieties here are said to provide protection to fisherman and seafaring folk, as well as to pregnant women. You may
see a number of families here with newborns and young children, giving thanks to the gods for a safe birth. To pay
your own respects, put a coin (preferably a five-yen for luck) into the donation box, ring the bell at the sanctuary,
bow twice to show respect, clap twice to make your prayer, and bow once in final respect.

BASHO WAYFARER SELF-GUIDED TOUR 11

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