Nakasendo Days
A haiku journey along an ancient highway
In spring of 2018, our group of eight writers and haiku doodlers set out to walk the Nakasendo Way, an ancient highway that once wound its way through old post towns and across mountain passes between Nagoya and Tokyo. Also known as the Kisokaidō, in days gone by it was travelled by samurai, merchants, pilgrims, feudal lords, royalty, artisans, entertainers, farmers and wandering poets and in more recent times has become a popular walking trail.
Our self guided tour was organised by the company, Walk Japan, who customised their regular Nakasendo tour for us providing a detailed directions notebook with extra notes on cultural and historical background.
The haiku poet Matsuo Basho came this way in 1684 and again in 1687. ‘ The Records of a Travel-Worn Satchel’ and ‘A Visit to Sarashina Village’, written along the way made strong appeals for the beauty and benefits of nature. He wrote…
this early spring
barely nine days old and all
those fields and mountains
withered winter grass —
waves of warm spring air
shimmering just above
Hiroshige, the renowned woodblock artist, travelled the Nakasendo in the 1830s contributing 46 designs to the 69 Views of The Kiso- Kaido (Nakasendo) which had been begun by Keisai Eisen.
Our journey began in the small town of Ena (an hour by local train from Nagano) where we met for onsen (Japanese baths) and our first ryokan (traditional inn) stay. The Ichikawa Inn has a long history and is still run by three generations of women, with great g’ma (94 years old) checking that everything was going smoothly. In Ena we had time to visit the Hiroshige Museum (as well as other historic sites) and try our hand at printing from his woodblock designs. From there our walk out of town took us onto the old Nakasendo trail which was marked either by cobblestones (some still original) or speckled pavement.
For seven days we walked from post town to post town through bamboo groves, pine forests, up and down mountain passes, staying in ryokans, soaking in onsen and feasting on local culinary fare. An occasional bus, train or taxi ride between walks gave us a chance to rest our feet and meet some locals. With morning workshops and evening readings, we we even managed to write a few haiku! Our last stop was at the town of Karuizawa at Tsuruya Inn, a favorite holiday place of famous novelists, poets, actors and artists. Our final ryokan feast didn’t dissapoint and knowing it would be our last, was savoured by us all.
I’ve invited our haiku walkers to contribute some of their jottings from our journey in the pages that follow. I do hope you will enjoy them!
©Jan Cornall 2018
Jan Cornall is a writer and traveller who leads international creativity retreats and journeys in extraordinary places.
This magazine showcases the work of participants in Haiku Walking In Japan 2016 and 2018. Read their contributions on other pages of Summer Grass here.
Photos unless otherwise indicated are by Jan Cornall.
Our next Japan journey will be our Haiku Snow Walk in February 2019 (also with Walk Japan). Details are currently being finalised, more info here.
