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CONTACTHello~ This time, we’re featuring Otsu-juku, the final post station on the Tokaido Road’s Fifty-Three Stations.
It served as the last place for travelers heading from Edo to Kyoto to catch their breath, while also playing a vital role as the gateway to Kyoto. Even today, walking through the town, you can feel the blue of Lake Biwa and sense the weight of history conveyed by its numerous historic sites. This time, we’ll delve deeper into the charm of Otsu-juku while introducing spots photographed during an actual walk through the area.
What is Otsu-juku?
Otsu-juku was the fifty-third and final post town along the Tōkaidō’s fifty-three stages. Located just one ri from Kyoto’s Sanjō Ōhashi Bridge, it served not only as a post town but also as a hub for lake transportation. During the Edo period, Otsu flourished as a “port town on the lake,” becoming a collection point for rice and goods where Lake Biwa’s water transport and the Tōkaidō highway converged.
Records from that era indicate that Otsu-juku boasted one honjin, two wakihonjin, and over seventy ryokan inns, bustling with daimyo on their sankin-kotai duties and commoners making pilgrimages to Ise. The fact that remnants of that bygone era can still be found in the townscape today speaks volumes about how rich this land’s history is.
Just like Kusatsu-juku, the townscape with its preserved old buildings was incredibly cool~
Site of the Otsu-juku Honjin
The “honjin” where feudal lords and court nobles stayed. Today, a stone monument remains on the site. This place was the symbol of the post town, more prestigious than a common inn, used by the shogun’s envoys and feudal lord processions.
While the building itself no longer stands, walking around the area lets you imagine history—thinking, “Did feudal lords really stay here?”—and gives you a slight feeling of stepping back in time.
But it feels a bit lonely that this stone monument is the only thing built here.💦
Stone Monument at Otsu Castle Ruins
Otsu once had Otsu Castle. Its construction was ordered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara, it became a stage where the strategies of the Western and Eastern armies clashed. While the castle itself no longer stands, stone monuments mark its former presence.
I imagine it was reconstructed, but what magnificent stone walls, huh?
Built to control the waterways of Lake Biwa, it speaks to Otsu’s importance as a key transportation and military hub.
Osakayama Checkpoint
Just before reaching Otsu-juku when traveling east from Kyoto stood the Ōsaka Pass Checkpoint. This historic site, where a checkpoint had been established since ancient times, was a key point for regulating traffic along the Tōkaidō. It was celebrated as a poetic place in the Heian period, famed in poems like those by Semimaru and the verse: “Here at Ōsaka Pass, whether going or returning, parting with those known and unknown.”
During the Edo period, the checkpoint was directly administered by the shogunate, where travel permits were verified and women leaving the country (known as “exiting women”) were regulated. Today, stone monuments and explanatory panels have been installed, allowing visitors to truly feel that this was a crossroads of transportation and culture.
To get to this checkpoint, I rented a bicycle near Otsu Station. It was a hot summer day, so I was drenched in sweat by the time I arrived.
Since it’s a busy traffic area, please be careful whether you’re going by car or bicycle~
I climbed this hill sweating buckets lol
Seki Semimaru Shrine (Lower Shrine and Upper Shrine)
When it comes to figures deeply connected to Mount Ōsaka, there’s Semimaru, known as the blind biwa minstrel. His spirit is enshrined at Seki Semimaru Shrine. There are two shrines, the Lower Shrine and the Upper Shrine, both enveloped in a quiet atmosphere.
Just be careful of the train crossing at the Lower Shrine. Seriously, why did they put a train line through here?! I can’t help but wonder lol
↓Seki Semimaru Shrine Lower Shrine. No way, that’s weird lol
Semi-maru was a figure of the Heian period, renowned both as a master of the biwa and as a poet. His poem “Kore ya kono…” is included in the “Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets.” He is also revered as a god of the performing arts, and even today, musicians and performers visit to pay their respects.
The shrine grounds are compact, but it’s a spot history buffs and literature lovers shouldn’t miss.
↓ Seki Semimaru Shrine Upper Shrine. Those stairs were tough~
Site of the Russian Crown Prince’s Tragedy (Otsu Incident)
When discussing Otsu’s history, the “Otsu Incident” is unavoidable. This refers to the 1891 (Meiji 24) incident where Tsugaru Sanzo, a police officer in Otsu, attacked and wounded Tsarevich Nikolai of Russia (later Emperor Nicholas II) during his visit to Japan.
The incident escalated into an international crisis, but what is noteworthy is how the judiciary upheld its independence. At the time, the government, mindful of Russia, sought the death penalty. However, Chief Justice Kojima Yukiyasu and others applied the law, sentencing the perpetrator to life imprisonment. This incident became a symbolic event demonstrating that Japan’s judiciary did not yield to political pressure.
A stone monument stands at the site, with an explanatory panel detailing the events of that time. Here in Otsu, one can reflect on this event of significant importance in modern Japanese history.
Lake Biwa First Canal
The Biwako Canal connecting Otsu and Kyoto was a major project of the Meiji era. The First Canal drew water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto, used for power generation, water transport, and the city’s water supply. The intake structure remains today, visible as a civil engineering heritage site.
This project propelled Kyoto into becoming a modern city, and considering that its starting point was in Otsu, one cannot help but feel the connection to history.
While the water flowing through Mishima-juku was incredibly soothing, this canal is also a relaxing spot. It must be amazing during cherry blossom season.
Shin Buddhism Otani School Otsu Branch Temple
Shinnyo Otani-ha Otsu Betsuin. A branch temple of Jodo Shinshu, it features a large main hall and a serene atmosphere. Located near the center of the post town, one can imagine it serving as a place of worship for travelers and townspeople of the time.
The temple remains beloved by local residents today, offering a glimpse into the cultural foundation of the post town.
Gichū-ji Temple ― Yoshizane Kiso and Basho
Among the sights in Otsu-juku, I especially recommend visiting Gichū-ji Temple. It was built to honor Kiso Yoshichika. Yoshichika was a hero of the Genpei War, standing alongside Minamoto no Yoritomo and Yoshitsune, and one of the key figures who drove the Taira clan from the capital. Yet he ultimately met his fate at the hands of Yoshitsune. The legend of Tomoe Gozen, the woman who adored Yoshichika, is also famous.
Gichū-ji Temple flourished as a place to honor Yoshichika, and later, the great haiku master Matsuo Bashō also developed a deep attachment to this land. Bashō chose this place as his final resting spot, and his remains are buried beside Yoshichika’s grave. Within the temple grounds, monuments inscribed with Bashō’s haiku are scattered about, where the history of literature and the samurai coexist in the same place.
Walking through Yoshina-ji Temple, you’re enveloped in a strange stillness, as if the souls of heroes scattered in history’s great tides and the haiku poet who sought eternity through words dwell together here. If you come to Otsu-juku, this is an absolute must-visit spot.
Lake Biwa and Otsu Post Station
To understand Otsu-juku, one cannot overlook the presence of Lake Biwa. Not only did people traveling the Tōkaidō gather here, but logistics and travel utilizing Lake Biwa also converged on this land. During the Edo period, rice and specialty products were transported by boats on Lake Biwa, transferred to land routes at Otsu, and sent onward to Kyoto and Osaka.
In essence, Ōtsu served as a crucial junction connecting lake transportation and highway routes. It evolved beyond a mere post station, developing into a vital hub for economic and cultural exchange. Even today, standing on the lakeshore, one can almost see the travelers arriving by boat, shouldering their cargo as they headed toward the post station.
Summary ― The Last Post Station on the Way to Kyoto
Otsu-juku, as the “last post station before entering Kyoto,” must have been a deeply memorable place for many travelers. Crossing Mount Ōsaka, pondering the songs of Semimaru, lodging at the honjin, and heading for Kyoto with Lake Biwa in view… We can relive such scenes of travel today.
Sites that shaped history, like Yoshinao Temple and the location of the Otsu Incident, are scattered throughout. It’s not merely a passing point, but a place packed with a “microcosm of Japanese history.” That, I felt, is the charm of Otsu-juku.
Walking through it, the remnants of the post town blend with the expanse of Lake Biwa and the numerous historical sites, creating a time filled with the spirit of travel. If you’re exploring the Tokaido, this is a post town where you should definitely take ample time to walk and savor the experience.
