Nakasendo Ota-juku 太田宿

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Ota-juku was the 51st shukuba lodging town on the old Nakasendo Road linking Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto. The old Nakasendo Road and some remnants of the shukuba still remain. Ota-juku is adjacent to Kiso River and one of the 17 Nakasendo lodging towns in Gifu Prefecture. This Hiroshige woodblock print of Ota-juku shows the Kiso River crossing to Ota-juku, one of the most difficult segments of the Nakasendo.

By 1843, Ota-juku was about 680 meters long with one Honjin, one Waki-Honjin (partially open to the public), 3 toiyaba, 20 hatago inns, and 118 homes. 505 people lived in Ota-juku.A major highlight was when Princess Kazunomiya (1846–1877) arrived and stayed in Ota-juku on Oct. 27, 1861 on her way to Edo/Tokyo to marry the shogun. She had such a huge entourage that it took them 4 days to pass through Ota-juku.

There are signboards in English. This is at the entrance to Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum.

Entrance to Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum. Parking also available here.

Tourist walking map of Ota-juku. From Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum, most sights are within walking distance.

Larger map of Ota-juku.

Across from Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum is the original front gate for the Ota-juku Honjin. The Honjin was the lodging town's centerpiece where VIPs like daimyo lords and Imperial family members would stay when passing through.

Ota-juku Honjin Gate front view. Too bad the Honjin is gone. Ota-juku's Honjin was rebuilt anew to lodge Princess Kazunomiya when she was to travel from Kyoto to Tokyo to marry Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi in 1861. 太田宿本陣門

Ota-juku Honjin Gate side view. This is not the original location of this gate. It was moved here during the 1920s or 30s. The Honjin was originally near the still existing Waki-Honjin. 太田宿本陣門

Ota-juku Honjin Gate. In Oct. 2002, the gate was diassembled and repaired before being reassembled. 太田宿本陣門

Ota-juku Honjin Gate rear view. 太田宿本陣門

Ota-juku Honjin layout. The original Honjin was a large Japanese-style mansion with many rooms. It was in the center of Ota-juku and operated by the Fukuda family whose head also served as the Ota-juku headman.In the Meiji Period, the Honjin was used as the Ota Town Hall.

Kiso Riverside rest house. Great for a walk or cycling.

Ota-juku is parallel to Kiso River 木曽川

Kiso River with Ota Bridge where travelers crossed the river in the old days on the Nakasendo Road. 太田の渡し場太田橋

Kiso River

Relief sculpture by local kids.

Wide Kiso Riverside walkway.

Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum and reconstruction of manga artist Okamoto Ippei's house. 太田宿中山道会館 + 糸遊庵

Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum 太田宿中山道会館

Tree of Love. The leaves are ball shaped. Chinese hackberry in Ota-juku, Minokamo, Gifu.

About the tree

About Chinese hackberry and mistletoe.

Inside Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum. Free admission.

Way to museum exhibits explaining local cultural history.Open 9 am to 5 pm, closed Mon. and Dec. 29–Jan. 3. https://kaikan.ootajuku.net/

Museum rules: No smoking, eating or drinking. Unfortunately, there's no English.

Reconstruction of a shop.

Kano-ya

Ota-ya traveler's store

Ota-ya

Facade of a hatago inn.

Kimono

Scale model of the Ota Magistrate's office. 尾張藩太田代官所

About the Ota Magistrate's office. 尾張藩太田代官所

About Ota-juku

About Nakasendo's three difficult segments.

About Ota-juku's Honjin (Fukuda Residence). 太田宿本陣福田家

The 17 shukuba lodging towns or post towns in Gifu Prefecture.

Famous people from Ota-juku.

Video screening space.

Showcase exhibits.

River raft used to transport logs on the river.

About river rafts.

Model of a river boat that can endure high waves.

Travel diaries of the Ota-juku river crossing.

About the boat men.

Document about the Ota-juku's boat men from 1610.

Cormorant fishing on the river.

Nakasendo traveler's clothing.

Museum gift shop.

Senbei crackers from Ota-juku.

Museum restaurant Yadorigi.

Mechanical water well outside the museum.

Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum

From Ota-juku Nakasendo Museum, we walked east along the Naasendo Road.

Built in 1769, the Ota-juku Waki-Honjin was a backup VIP lodge in addition to the Honjin. It has this udatsu roof firewall in Ota-juku, Gifu Prefecture. The Ota Waki-Honjin retains much of its original Edo Period exterior. Part of the house is open to the public.

Ota Waki-Honjin's udatsu roof firewall in Ota-juku, Gifu Prefecture. Udatsu was also a status symbol.

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence (inkyo) is open to the public. 太田宿脇本陣隠居

Ota Waki-Honjin Hayashi Residence formerly for Ota-juku VIPs. This main building is not open to the public, but the adjacent Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence is open to the public. 太田脇本陣林家住宅This is the original location. National Important Cultural Property. 国の重要文化財

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence is open to the public.

Built in 1769, the Ota-juku Waki-Honjin was a backup VIP lodge in addition to the Honjin. Operated by the Hayashi family since the latter 1700s. Hayashi family head also served as the Ota-juku headman along with the Honjin's Fukuda family head. 太�

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence. 太田宿脇本陣

Inside Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence. 太田宿脇本陣隠居

Inside Ota Waki-Honjin residence's kitchen not open to the public. 太田宿脇本陣隠居

Inside Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence. 太田宿脇本陣隠居

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence's garden.

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence has Udatsu roof firewall. Ota-juku, Gifu.

Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence rear.

Ceiling of Ota Waki-Honjin secondary residence.

Ota-juku, Minokamo, Gifu.

Walking further east in Nakasendo Ota-juku.

Looks like a modernized version. Ota-juku, Gifu.

Ota-juku lantern

This building used to be the Juroku Bank, Ota Branch from 1907 to 1965. 旧十六銀行太田支店

Former Juroku Bank, Ota Branch. 旧十六銀行太田支店

Ai-Ai bus stop sign

Yoshida Family Residence (吉田家住宅), another Ota-juku building open to the public. It operated as a famous hatago inn named Komatsuya (小松屋), and later as a tobacco shop from the 1920s.

Entrance hall of Yoshida Family Residence (吉田家住宅). The residence is a National Tangible Cultural Property.

Yoshida Family Residence (吉田家住宅) was first operated as an inn during the Edo Period for Ise Grand Shrine pilgrims, then became tobacco merchant Komatsu-ya from the 1920s.