Kisoji

The Kisoji (木曽路, Kisoji) was an old trade route in the Kiso Valley that stretched from Niekawa-juku in Nagano Prefecture to Magome-juku in Gifu Prefecture. The route featured eleven post towns, all of which were later incorporated into the Nakasendō when it was established.^[1] A historical record from 713 in the Shoku Nihongi transcribes the name as 吉蘇路.

Two stone markers indicate the endpoints of the Kisoji. One, located between Motoyama-juku and Niekawa-juku, states, "From here south: Kisoji" (是より南木曽路 Kore yori minami, Kisoji). The other, situated between Magome-juku and Ochiai-juku, reads, "From here north: Kisoji" (是より北木曽路 Kore yori kita, Kisoji).

The early 20th-century author Shimazaki Tōson wrote about the impact of the Meiji Restoration on the Kiso Valley in his novel Before the Dawn. Having grown up in Magome-juku, he frequently depicted the area in his works.

Following the Meiji period, the construction of the Chūō Main Line and Route 19 provided modern transportation routes that roughly follow the Kisoji’s path.