Kurihan Kaido - Kurihan Kaido

Japanese: 九里半街道 - くりはんかいどう

This road connects Imazu Port in Omi Province on the northwestern shore of Lake Biwa with Obama Port in Wakasa Province. The road was named after the nine and a half ri distance between Imazu and Obama, and was also called the Kurihango Wakasa Road. From Imazu, it heads west along the Ishida River, passes through Hozaka Village, crosses Misaka Pass, passes through Kumagawa River from the Wakasa border, and then follows the Kita River to Obama. Since ancient times, it has been used as a route to transport goods from Wakasa Province, as well as cargo and seafood landed at Obama Port, to the shores of Lake Biwa. These goods were also transported by boat on Lake Biwa via Otsu Port and other places to Kyoto. Wakasa trade using this road was monopolized by the "Five Merchants" of Omi, centered around Obata merchants and Takashima Minamiichi merchants, but during the Sengoku period, the "Honoi Merchants" from the eastern part of Lake Biwa advanced into the area, causing disputes. In the second half of the 17th century, it is said that Tsugu Kumakawa carried more than 200,000 loads of goods per year.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

琵琶湖北西岸の近江国今津(いまづ)湊と若狭国小浜(おばま)湊を結ぶ街道。街道名は今津と小浜間が９里半であったことにちなみ，九里半越・若狭街道ともいわれた。今津から石田川に沿って西行し，保坂(ほうざか)村を経て水坂(みさか)峠を越え，若狭国境から熊川(くまがわ)を通り，以後北(きた)川に沿って小浜に至る。古代以来，若狭国の物資や小浜湊に陸揚げされた荷物・海産物を琵琶湖畔に運ぶ道として利用された。これらの諸物資はさらに琵琶湖舟運によって大津湊などを経，京都へも運ばれた。当街道を利用した若狭通商は，小幡(おばた)商人・高島南市(たかしまみなみいち)などの商人を中心とする近江の〈五個(ごか)商人〉が独占していたが，戦国期になると湖東の〈保内商人〉が進出し，相論が起こっている。17世紀後半，熊川継の荷物は年間20万駄以上であったという。

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