Ohechi route-4 Nagai-zaka from Susami to Mirodu /長井坂(周参見~見老津へ)
2018年 11月 25日
October 18 th(Thursday) I walked from Susami Station on JR Kinokuni Line to Mirodu Station with KIGA members. It is a comfortable course to walk in the natural forest while watching Karekinada coast. Distance is about 10,5km. Elevation defference is 250m.
Walking on Route 42 about 1 km from Susami Station, there is a sign bord of Kumano Kodo. From here you will enter to Umakorobi-zaka.
Kumano road continues from the side of a factry.
The entrance of Umakorobi-zaka. It means the horse will fall.
A steep slope will continue about 500 meteres.
After going up the slope, it is a flat mountain road. From here the road goes down.
There is a road sigh written as 42.
Suddenly the view is getting bettere and the wonderfull view of Karekinada is spreading.
Let's enter the mountain path on your left.
It is a steep downhill for a while.
The coast called Nizhihama. Let's walk the fence-coverd road.
Let's turn to left when you see a signboard of Nagai-zaka and walk toward the mountain road.
A small stone Jizo is enshined beside the road.
The old road is paralleled to the railway line of JR.
A thistle flower is blooming.
let's walk about 1 km in the forest.
Look at the sign of "タオの峠入口(Tao Pass entrance)" and climb the mountain on the left.
It is a narrow road, but well maintained.
You can walk in the natural forest.
There is a big round stone above the mountain.
You can see a village of wabukagawa by crossing the mountain.
This is a rare moutain grass.
There is a temple, let's go. The Rokujizo(six Jizo Buddha Statues) are lined up.
There is a big tree after passing by a community room of Wabukagawa.
There is a stone sign of Wabukagawa Oji Shrine.
寛永2年(1625)に松本四郎大夫広正により創建されました。 王子神社と春日神社が祀られています。 室町時代以前の懸仏3体のご神体が保存されており文化的価値が高いです。 1846年と書かれた石灯籠や1847年と書かれた石づくりの手水鉢があります。 また神社境内の西側には、幹周り5.30メートル、高さ20メートルのムクノキがあります。 これは古い森林形態において貴重なものであると言われています。
Wabukagawa Oji &Wabukagawa Shrine
This shrine was built by Matsumoto Shiro Daibu Hiromasa in 1625. Both of them were enshrined together here.
The three objects of worship are believed to have been made before Muromachi period (about 500 years ago).
And they are still preserved. There are a stone lantern made in 1846 and a stone washbasin made in 1847 in its precinct.
On the west side of this shirine, there's an old and giant tree called Mukunoki or a kind of elm tree, which is 5.3 meters around and 20 meters high,which is said to be precious in old forest morphology. (by T.S)
猪垣(鹿垣)Shishi-gaki
長井坂の急な坂の上り口に数段の田んぼのあとがあって、今は杉林になっています。この田んぼの上側に田んぼを囲むように長い石の壁があります。長さは200m以上です。
There are several steps of rice field remains before steep slope of "Nagai-zaka". Now but this area is cedar forest. On the upper side of this remaining rice field, there is a long stone wall likes covering the rice field. The length of this wall is over 200m.
田んぼの石垣のてっぺんは水平ですが、この壁は水平にはなっていません。両側が石垣で、高さも幅も1m位です。この石垣は「猪垣」と呼ばれています。
Top of the stone wall of the ricefield is level. But this stone wall is not level, it has two sides of stone walls, the width is less than one meter and the hight is more than one meter. This wall is called "Shishi-gaki" or wild boar barrier.
猪垣は江戸時代から作られました。この壁の高さや構造では野生動物から農産物を完全に守ることはできません。入口に深い穴があったと言われています。壁に沿って歩いてきた動物を捕らえて食料にしたと考えられます。当時は動物性タンパク質が極度に不足していました。
Shishi-gaki was built in since Edo era. This barrier can not defend the agiricultual products completely against the wild animals by their hight and structure. It is said that there was a deep hole at the entrance. It is said that this barrier was made for catching the wild animals walking along the wall by hiding a hole in the opening of the wall. Because in those days people severely faced the lack of animal protein. (by H.Y)
版築 (段築)
版築とは、山と山との鞍部(低い谷筋)に、何層にも分けた土層を突き固めて構築したものです。古道の平面を一定に保ち、稜線として、通り易くしています。版築の道の左右の法面(のりめん)は高い傾斜となっています。
古道は参詣者だけでなく、商人の移動や物資運搬にも利用されました。数百年たった現代でも、ほとんど崩れずに残っています。排水の容易な尾根筋にあるからでしょう。
Hanchiku is a place which was made at the col between the mountains, piled up with soil and tamped. Because of Hanchiku, the road is level, and people could walk easily.
This road has been maintained routinely, so it can be used not only as a pilgrimage road but also for everyday use. Hanchiku still remains as good as before, maybe because it exists on the ridge of the mountains where the drainage system is good. (by Y.S)
The sign at the bottom of Nagai-slope route for north going, saying 1.3km by 25 minutes of ascent walk.
長井坂の南端の見老津駅の手前約1kmは急な下り坂です。 この周参見地域を治めていた安宅族による記録では、1530年の冬に、この急坂で新宮の堀之内軍勢とで合戦があったそうです。安宅勢は弓矢と槍で坂の上から新宮勢を撃退したそうです。
戦国期の地元豪族間の覇権争いの跡です。
About 1 km path toward Mirozu-station is a steepdown slope. According to the record by the local clan Ataka who
governed this area (Susami), there was a battle along this steep slope with arrows and longswards between Ataka-
clan and Shingu-clan about 500 years ago. Both two clans had competed each other to control the area. (by H.S)
Now reached Mirozu JR station, from which a nice ocean view with rocks in the sea.