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Nakasendō · Station 19 of 69

Kutsukake-shuku 沓掛宿

Karuizawa, Nagano, JapanAbout 151 km from Nihonbashi
Kutsukake-shuku
Kutsukake-shuku (沓掛宿) — woodblock printWoodblock print: Keisai Eisen — from The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Nakasendō (中山道)Station 19 of 69 · Nihonbashi (Edo) → Kyoto (via Kusatsu)
Present-day locationKaruizawa, Nagano, Japan
PrefectureNagano (Chubu region)
Distance from NihonbashiAbout 151 km (by the historical station tables)
Next stationOiwake-shuku — about 4.3 km on
Coordinates36.3486° N, 138.5917° E

Kutsukake-shuku (沓掛宿, Kutsukake-shuku) was the nineteenth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day town of Karuizawa, in the Kitasaku District of Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

History

This post town's name, which roughly translates to "stuck shoes," came about because it was located near the western entrance to the difficult Usui Pass. When there was severe weather, it was impossible for people or animals to pass. Kutsukake-shuku, along with the neighboring Karuisawa-shuku and Oiwake-shuku, was one of the Sengenmi Shuku ("three shallow passes").

In 1951, there was a large fire, which destroyed nearly all of the remaining historical buildings. All that remains of the honjin are a well and a storehouse.

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Neighboring post towns

Nakasendō
Karuisawa-shuku - Kutsukake-shuku - Oiwake-shuku

Text adapted from the English Wikipedia article Kutsukake-shuku by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Station facts cross-checked with the road station lists (Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

More post towns in Nagano

← Nakasendō No. 18 · Karuisawa-shukuNakasendō No. 20 · Oiwake-shuku →