After passing through residential towns, the pilgrims climbing Yakiyama surely felt relieved upon seeing the flat, expansive coast of Mikisato. This coast was home to a ferryboat that traveled to Sone, a town four kilometers away. We can see in travel accounts that the pilgrims, exhausted from the difficult task of traveling the Yakiyama-goe, chose the option of leisurely crossing the sea by ferryboat, even if it cost them some money. Pilgrims without the funds for a ferryboat trip had to climb the next mountain pass and travel to Sone on foot.

During the Edo Period, the people of Mikisato took on the role of “muratsugi.” Muratsugi were responsible for traveling the Yakiyama-goe to help transport pilgrims who had collapsed from exhaustion or were injured back to Owase. Villagers both young and old took on the murazuki role, and they were compensated through funds collected by the village. In other words, the muratsugi were able to continue making these trips to help others thanks to this local welfare system.

Traveling the Yakiyama-goe is no easy feat, but I believe we’ve been able to reflect on the difficulties faced by those who came before us and have a memorable walk along the Kodō. This difficult mountain route included dangers such as attacks by monkeys as well as bandits. Why did people continue their pilgrimages? We would love for you to think back on your journey while remembering the various gravestones you encountered, as well as the route’s rich history.

* This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels!