Kisoji

Japanese: 木曾路 - きそじ

In ancient times it was written as Kisoji, Kisoji, Kisso, or Kisoji, but since the early modern period it has been commonly called Kisoji.
[Ancient]
The Kisso Road was a road connecting Mino Province (Gifu Prefecture) and Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture). According to the Shoku Nihongi, construction of the Gisoshan Road began in 702 (Taiho 2) and was completed in 713 (Wado 6), with Mino no Kami Kasamaro and others commending it the following year. There are two theories about the route, one that it was related to the main Tosando road, and another that it passed through the Kiso Valley like the Nakasendo road from the Edo period onwards, making it difficult to determine. If we take the former theory, it would mean a repair or replacement of the Tosando road that runs from near Nakatsugawa City to Misaka Pass, which passes above the current Enasan Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway, but this does not match the Sandai Jitsuroku, which says that "this place is a journey of more than ten days from the Mino provincial capital."

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

古代では吉蘇路あるいは岐蘇，吉祖，岐岨とも書き，近世以降は木曾路が一般化する。
［古代］
　吉蘇路は美濃国(岐阜県)と信濃国(長野県)を結ぶ道路であった。《続日本紀》によると702年(大宝2)岐蘇山道の工事に着工し713年(和銅6)に吉蘇路が完成し，翌年美濃守笠麻呂以下が賞されている。経路は東山道の本路に関するとする説と，江戸時代以降の中山道のように木曾谷を通過するとする説とがあり決し難い。前説をとると，現在の中央高速自動車道恵那山トンネルの上を通る神坂（みさか）峠へ，中津川市付近から至る東山道の改修あるいは付替えを意味するが，《三代実録》に〈此の地は美濃国府を去ること行程十余日〉というのに合わない。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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