The road on the other side of the river in front of Takumi-Shuku is called the “Ancient Tokaido,” which people used before the Edo Period to transport silk and textiles from one side of Japan to the other.

The town just south of Takumi-Shuku is called “Maruko-Shuku,” or Maruko for short. But Izumigaya was the key transportation point in the area.

There’s a retro candy and oden shop on the side of the road called “Gosaku,” and if you pay close attention you’ll notice a sign on the stand beside the shop that reads “Maruko Castle Ruins.”

Maruko Castle Ruins are famous but only to those “in the know.”

The castle was built by vassals of the Imagawa clan during the Sengoku Period, and was later used to protect the Imagawa clan base of Suruga Fuchu.

Eventually it was conquered by the daimyo Takeda Shingen, and handed over to Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was demolished in 1590, but the building foundations and moat are still intact today.