Shirakawa Pass - Shirakawa Pass

Japanese: 白河関 - しらかわのせき

A checkpoint located at the entrance to Mutsu Province on the ancient Tosando. It is one of the three checkpoints of Oshu, along with Kikuta Checkpoint (Nakorai Checkpoint) on the Tokaido and Nezu Checkpoint on the Hokurikudo. It is believed to be located in the current Hatajuku area of Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. The checkpoint is located on a hill at the uppermost part of the Yashiro River, a tributary of the Abukuma River, about 3 km south of the Tochigi Prefecture border. Excavations have uncovered a group of pit dwellings from the Heian period surrounded by double fences, as well as the remains of post-hole buildings and a blacksmith's workshop. Nationally designated historic site. In a Dajokan document from 835, it appears as "Shirakawa Kikuta Seki," and an application was made to make the Shirakawa and Kikuta checkpoints equal to those of Nagato Province in order to prevent the entry and exit of prisoners and the purchase of official goods by merchants, and this was approved. The checkpoints were recognized as having been established in the first half of the 5th century at the time of the same document. In the Kakaisho, it is written that in 799, "Sixty Guards of Shirakawa and Kikuta [Seki]" were established, so it was probably built as a precaution against the Emishi. In the Heian period, it became famous as a utamakura (a place where people pray to the gods). In the 12th century, Saigyo and Minamoto no Yoritomo, who passed through this barrier, were reminded of Noin's poem "The Capital and the Mist," but by this time, it had lost its function as a barrier. After that, many writers and religious figures, such as Ippen, Sogi, and Doko Jungo, came to this barrier and wrote poems and prose about their feelings at reaching the entrance to Michinoku. This recognition of the entrance to Michinoku and the edge of the Kanto region as a border has been passed down to later generations, and in "Oku no Hosomichi," Basho wrote, "When I reached the Shirakawa barrier, my travels were settled." There is also a fictitious site for this barrier in Shirasaka, Shirakawa City.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

古代東山道の陸奥国入口に置かれた関所。東海道の菊多(きくた)関（勿来関），北陸道の念珠(ねず)関とともに奥羽三関の一。現在の福島県白河市旗宿(はたじゅく)地内に比定。比定地は阿武隈川の支流社(やしろ)川最上流部の丘陵上で，栃木県境は南へ約３km。発掘調査で二重の柵木に囲まれた平安時代の竪穴住居群ほか掘立柱建物跡群・鍛冶工房跡などが発見された。国指定史跡。835年の太政官符に〈白河菊多両【せき】〉とみえ，俘囚の出入りと商人の官納物買取りを防ぐため，白河・菊多両関の取締りを長門国関並みにするように申請，許可されている。なお関の設置は同官符の頃には，５世紀前半と認識。また《河海抄》には799年のこととして〈白河・菊多【せき】守六十人〉とあり，蝦夷に対する備えとして設けられたのであろう。平安時代には歌枕として高名となる。12世紀に当関を越えた西行や源頼朝は，能因の〈都をば霞とともに〉の歌に思いを馳せたが，この頃には関としての機能は失っていた。その後一遍・宗祇・道興准后など多くの文人・宗教者が当関に至り，〈みちのく〉の入口に到達した感慨を歌に詠み文章に綴った。こうした〈みちのく〉の入口，関東の果てという境界認識は後代に引き継がれ，《おくの細道》で芭蕉は〈白川の関にかゝりて旅心定りぬ〉と記している。なお白河市白坂(しらさか)にも当関の擬定地がある。

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