Reading Hiroshige's "Maruko-juku (Maruko-juku) on the Tokaido" from the translation of Kiso lacquerware from the Nakasendo

March 10, 2026

Beyond the wind, memories of the wind

I spend my days in Kiso Hirasawa, Nakasendo, Shinshu. This town is located at the foot of the treacherous Torii Pass . Lately, my mind has been drawn to the scenery of Mariko-juku (Maruko-juku) on the Tokaido in faraway Shizuoka.

Why am I drawn to this post town, even though I've never been there? In fact, my family has had a deep connection with a long-established inn in Izu since my predecessors. **The journey to prestigious inns from Ito, Toi, Amagi, and all the way to Izu Nagaoka**. It was no coincidence that I came across this Hiroshige adaptation. Perhaps the "invisible road" connecting Kiso, Suruga, and Izu has been passed down from generation to generation through work. I can't help but feel that way.

Both Hirasawa and Mariko (Maruko) have similar topography, with steep mountain passes behind them. The silence before the pass and the traveler's resolve. The cold wind blowing down from the mountains is a part of my everyday life.

From here is the Minami Kiso Road monument. From here on, the road gets steeper and the prayers become deeper.

Kiso Hirasawa (former Narakawa Village, former Narai Village, Narai-juku ) is home to an unusually large number of temples and Jizo statues, likely due to its location near the watershed Torii Pass. Upon investigation, Mariko also found that ancient temples, including Seiganji Temple , line the entrance to the pass, and there are also many Jizo statues at the pass, making them the guardians of the pass.
Facing such a difficult situation, people could not help but pray. This tranquil atmosphere is also a memory shared by the two places.

"There needs to be a god or Buddha in front of the mountain pass," the words my predecessor once casually blurted out, still resonate with me today.

Spirits that cross the Utsunotani Pass, "Tororo Soup" that has been around since the Edo period

And when talking about Maruko, one thing you can't miss is the famous " Tororo Soup ." It is still a beloved taste of the highway, with the most famous being " Chojiya, " a long-established shop founded over 400 years ago and depicted in the ukiyo-e prints of Hiroshige.

In her hometown of Yamagata Village, Mariko was forced to eat plenty of Nagaimo (Japanese yam). However, here she eats "Jien-yam" (wild yam), which is on a different level. It has that wild tenacity, as if it were digging into the mountains and sipping the power of the soil.
The stickiness that I hated as a child because it resembled snot (though now I think it was a luxury, it reminds me of my parents), was the perfect "energy-boosting tonic" for the traveler about to tackle the steep slope of Utsunotani Pass .

If you are traveling to Shizuoka, be sure to sip on the history that has remained unchanged since the Edo period under the thatched roof.

Silence and naked black | Naked Black

For those who live surrounded by mountains, the sight of Suruga Fuji and the sea of Suruga Bay beyond are something they long for precisely because they are out of reach. In the scene painted by Utagawa Hiroshige , I sense the invisible sea breeze and the presence of Fuji.

I wanted to find out what that unique "energy" is that is not found in the mountains of Shinshu, and to confirm it in my own way, using the bare black of "silence."