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| Hakone Checkpoint HDQ |
When you enter Hakone via Route 1 from Odawara, we pass a steep hairpin curve at Oohiradai, go in front of Fujiya Hotel, one of the oldest western style hotels in Japan, and meet a Y-crossing. It’s a departing point of Highway Route 1 and the historic byway for Tokaido now with the name National Route 138. Route 1 leads us to the oceanside main route to Kyoto. Route 138 will bring us to Gotemba City 御殿場 and foothills of Mt. Fuji via Otome (= Maiden) Pass 乙女峠. With meticulous planning for security of Edo, the Shogunate of course built a checkpoint along the byway. That office was in Sengokubara. The reason why it was there would be simple. Before, from Sengokubara to Otome Pass, there was no human settlement to speak of. The place was just a forest. There remains a written public record for 1611, which says Sengokubara community had 4 households and 5 people.
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| To
Otome Pass. Exactly speaking, “Otome” meant “Stop anybody here 御留” in old Japanese. The word happened to have same pronunciation as “Maiden,” and hence the 21st century notation. Peaceful days are good. |
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| Now
the place on Route 138 where Sengokubara checkpoint stood had a stone monument explaining the situation. |
Once Mr. Teruo Katsuyama, the Chief Curator Emeritus for Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, told us from a view point of professional botanist Sengokubara was/is not a good place for traditional Japanese agriculture where rice is uber-important. Yes, Sengokubara is the flattest boggy place in Hakone. The wide expanse of marsh is seemingly suitable for rice paddies. Though, the volcanic soil is too poor for rice, and cold climate in the plateau of ASL 650-750m provides too short growing season for tropical rice. The population of Sengokubara community did not grow much until 1869 when Sengokubara checkpoint was abolished by new Meiji Government. The place could not feed many people from local ag crops. I imagine the main industry at that time there was forestry to keep Shogun’s forest spreading to Otome Pass whose duty included surveillance of illegal evaders from the checkpoint and bureaucracy for policing.
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| This
flatness is good for summer house community of the 21st century. But … |
With such view for traditional life in Sengokubara, it’s a bit difficult to color life of yester centuries in rose as an inspiration for Nature-based solution. Still, the remoteness of north-most area of Hakone shows interesting cultural characteristics of the people who lived with the forest. One is Choanji Temple 長安寺 that has the written official record of existence for 1670. The old temple have many statues of Hayagriva 馬頭観音 that have been worshiped by the community. Old families of Sengokubara normally had at least one horse. As their business was always connected to the mountainous byroad of Tokaido (= Route 1), horses for traffic and logistics were very important. People had a serious reason to enshrine equestrian deity. The old rea of the town also has many husbands and wife statues of Dosojin 道祖神 = Guardians for Community. The religious activity for Dosojin itself became common in Japan during the 18th century, and Dosojins of Sengokubara were built around that time. They were expected to ward off evil spirits to come into the community. Considering the village lived with the road connecting Edo and western cities of Japan, the existence of these old statues tells something about the mentality of the community …
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| Lots of Hayagriva in Choanji Temple. |
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| The
current resident priest of Choanji Temple has an ambition for the temple with 500 Arhat statues. The number of them is growing little by little, and visitors identify ourselves with some of them. It’s good meditative exercise. |
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| The biggest Dosojin in Sengokubara community. |
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| It’s the youngest Dosojin built about 40 years ago. |
Another religious establishment of the community is Suwa Shrine 諏訪神社 enshrined the Suwa Deity whose main shrine is in mountainous Nagano Prefecture. The legend says the original families of Sengokubara were defeated samurais from Yamanashi via Otome Pass. They fled from the fall of their master Takeda Clan. They may have brought the deity of war from their home. Every March 27th, the shrine in Sengokubara offers very peculiar lion dance that remains only in Hakone and in Numata community of Gotemba on the south slope of Mt. Fuji. The style itself was said to be brought in 1776 by a guy called Kayanuma Gihei 萱沼義兵衛 of Fujiyoshida City 富士吉田, in the north slope of Mt. Fuji. It is obvious the dance came via the byway of Tokaido. In Hakone, the form is passed down for Kintoki Shrine 金時神社 which is a child shrine of Suwa Shrine of Sengokubara, for Suwa Shrine of Sengokubara, and for another Suwa Shrine of Miyagino 宮城野. All the shrines are along Route 138. It tells something about the life in forests of Hakone centuries ago. Next week I tell you about my adventure with the lion dance held in Miyagino. Their festival day is every July 15. Please stay tuned!
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| Suwa Shrine in Sengokubara over there. |
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| The
sanctuary of the Shrine has a pond whose water is used for lion dance. |
Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場
256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256
Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/
