Karuizawa Town, which is one of the most popular summer resorts, was a transportation hub. Oiwake-juku (post town) in Karuizawa Town was the junction of Nakasendou and Hokkoku-kaidou. Nakasendou was the highway which linked Edo (old name of Tokyo) and Kyoto. The starting point of Hokkoku-kaidou to Niigata was Oiwake-juku. The junction, the teahouse and the milestone recall us the old time.
The museum is an
old inn style building. Most of all exhibits of the museum are about trips
in the Edo period (1603～1868).
When I visited, the special exhibition about three post towns in Karuizawa Town
was held. Let’s see the old trips. (Photos were taken
and uploaded under the permission of the museum office. Taking photos of
exhibits owned by a private individual were not allowed.)
日本を代表する避暑地･別荘地の軽井沢町は、関東に通じる碓氷峠を前にし、中山道だけではなく、新潟県（上越市）や群馬県（草津町）から来た道が集まる交通の要衝でした。追分宿は中山道と、善光寺を経由して新潟へ向かう北国街道が分かれる場所です。宿にある、分岐点（追分の分去れ）、茶屋、一里塚が往時を思い出させてくれます。
郷土館は、旅籠風に作られた建物で、展示品の大部分は江戸時代の旅に関するものです。更に、企画展「浅間根腰の三宿ー軽井沢宿・沓掛宿・追分宿ー」が開催されていました。昔の旅のようすをみていきましょう。（郷土館の許可を得て撮影及び掲載しました。個人蔵の展示品のアップ写真は掲載できないのでご了承ください。）
At the entrance hall, a stone signpost is set in front of the photo of the junction in the early 20th century; the photo at present is also set. So, let’s visit the permanent exhibition room on the left.
玄関ホールには、追分宿分去れの写真（明治末期）と道標、今の写真が置かれています。では、左側の常設展示室へ。
On the left side at once going inside the room, there is a full-scale model of a part of the teahouse “Tsugaruya”; utensils were actually used. The teahouse remains even until now (the photo lower left was taken in around 1958).
展示室に入った左側には追分宿の京口（西の入口）の枡形の茶屋・つがる屋を復元したスペースがあり、当時使われた道具が展示されています。茶屋は現存します（左下は1958年ごろの写真）。
On the opposite side, Oiwake-bushi (traditional folksong) is introduced. It was the song of workers who guided a horse for a traveler. Maids (geisha) at inns in Oiwake sang it to shamisen guitar accompaniment, then it spread across Japan. Tsugaruya (teahouse) is in the song.
通路の反対側では、追分節が紹介されています。馬子唄が追分節となり、北海道まで伝わって江差追分になりました。また、宿場の飯盛り女たちが三味線の伴奏をつけ、座敷歌として全国に広まりました。「追分枡形のえ～茶屋でよ～ ほろと鳴いたが ありゃ忘らりょか（ハイーハイー）」と枡形の茶屋も歌詞に出てきます。
The photo above is a model of Oiwake-juku. There are Tsugaruya and Masugata (defense facility).
追分宿のジオラマ。枡形と茶屋も再現されています。
*Two photos were added in July of 2023、2023年7月の写真二枚追加
Tsugaruya at present、今のつがる屋
Stone signpost of the junction at present、今の分去れ
The exhibition room is as large as one and half classroom. Oiwake-juku had been a post town of the official highway since the ancient period.
展示室は教室一つ半ぐらいです。追分宿は古代から官道（東山道）の宿場でした。
In the Edo period (since 1603), Oiwake-juku flourished so much. Because, daimyos (local lords), who went to Edo every two years (Sankin-koutai), stayed or passed with hundreds of their attendants. Moreover, ordinary people traveled a lot due to a peaceful time. In around 1700, there were 152 houses and almost 900 people. There were more women than men by two hundred; many women worked at inns.
江戸時代になると追分宿は一気に賑わいました。大名の参勤交代に庶民の旅行ブームです。元禄時代（1700年ごろ）には、152戸、人口900人弱で、女性が男性より200人ほど多くいました。
The number of houses in Oiwake-juku was over 200 at its peak period. More than 90 inns were there. 200 to 270 women worked as maid or prostitute. They sang Oiwake-bushi (folksong) for travelers. Hearing local songs used to be fun while traveling back then.
Btw, inns put up signs of their regular customers’ names; those were useful information when travelers selected an inn.
追分宿の戸数は最盛期に200戸を越え、このうち90軒以上が旅籠屋でした。そして、遊女・飯盛り女が200人から270人もいました。旅人は彼女らから追分節を聞いたとのことです。ご当地ソングを楽しむというのは、今にはない楽しみ方ですね。
ところで、宿にはお得意さんの名前が掲げられています。こういう名前は宿選びの判断に影響します。
The travel of daimyo lords is also introduced. Replicas of dishes for a daimyo lord are exhibited. Post towns and highways were built for official trips of daimyo lords, samurai and nobles.
大名の通行も紹介されています。宿場と街道は、武士の公務での利用のために整備されましたからね。大名に出された料理の復元写真もあります。
The title of the panel is “Life in Oiwake”. It is a highland (the elevation is around 1000m), and it was difficult to grow rice. Therefore, people grew millet which are resistant to cold climate and poor soil. Moreover, there is an active volcano (Mt. Asama). It was not easy to live there, so business at the post town was a valuable income source for them, I think.
「追分の生活」というパネルです。高地（標高約1000m）のため粟や稗などの雑穀をなんとか収穫できるという村でした。加えて浅間山の噴火もあります。宿場は貴重な収入源だったのではないかと思います。
In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the railway was built and Oiwake-juku declined in prosperity. It is a calm town which has remnants of the post town (upper right).
明治になって鉄道が通ると、追分宿は寂れていきました。今は宿場の雰囲気を残した静かな町です（右上）。
Special exhibition: Three post towns at the foot of Mt. Asama -Karuizawa, Kutsukake and Oiwake- (From July to December in 2022)
企画展：浅間根腰の三宿ー軽井沢宿・沓掛宿・追分宿ー（2022年7月から12月まで）
The special exhibition was held at the second floor. Two ukiyoe prints were displayed at the doorway; those were enlarged, so the man and the horse were as large as actual ones. The man was 157cm tall which was average height back then; the native horse was also small. Interesting!
二階では、企画展が開かれていました。展示室に入ると、浮世絵（木曽街道追分宿浅間山眺望、栄泉）の人物や馬を実物大に拡大したシートが掲げられていました。在来種の体高は135cm、競馬で見るアラブ馬と違って小さいです。馬子さんの身長は157cm、当時の平均身長です。面白いアイデアの展示です。
Ukiyoe of three post towns (juku) were displayed; there are horses in all prints. Mt. Asama on the right is erupting.
噴煙を上げる浅間山（右、二代広重、1859）とともに、追分宿（左上、栄泉、1836ごろ）、沓掛宿（左中、栄泉、1836ごろ）、軽井沢宿（左下、広重、1836ごろ、複製）の浮世絵が展示されていました。どの宿場の絵にも馬が描かれています。
Official maps, which depicted the highway in detail were exhibited. Houses, mountains, rivers were drawn.
幕命で武士が書いた分間絵図（上が北国街道、下が中山道、何れも復刻版）。町や山川が細かく描かれています。
The map (published in 1765) above was used by ordinary people. They traveled on foot, so they couldn’t have a detailed map.
Almost all post towns in Japan including Oiwake-juku were printed on the compact map. The distance and the horse charges to the neighboring post towns, tourist spots and so on were written. It was useful not only during trip but also while planning or chatting about the memories, I guess.
庶民はこのぐらいの地図を持って歩いたのでしょうか。大日本早引細見絵図（1765）です。徒歩の旅では、荷物を持てませんからねえ。
写真の部分だけで、佐渡島から奈良までカバーしていて、分岐点の追分宿も大きな字で書かれています。宿場だけでなく、名所旧跡、宿場間の距離、駄賃も書かれています。旅の思い出や計画を語り合うときにも役立ったと思います。
The book above is “Pictures of famous mountains in Japan” (1842). An eminent painter (Tani Buncho) traveled and wrote the book. Eighty-eight mountains are drawn on the book. I reckon ordinary people enjoyed to see mountains, not to climb them. The mountains on the book are written on the link (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jila1934/55/5/55_5_49/_pdf), but in Japanese. Mountains have attracted people.
「開運！なんでも鑑定団」でおなじみの谷文晁が諸国を旅して書いた「日本名山図絵」（1842）がありました。88の山が記載されています。登る山ではなく見る対象だったのだと思います。どんな山がリストアップされているかは、こちらリンクをご参照（「日本名山図絵」にみる谷文晁の名山観、1992）。山は人を惹きつけますね。
Many old books concerning trips were displayed. Many of them have illustrations. It is written “the waitresses in Oiwake-juku” in the picture on the upper left. Two maids visit even the bedroom. People seemed to enjoy staying at Oiwake-juku. The picture on the upper right shows a trip on a rainy day in Kutsukake-juku. The book “Pictures in Kiso Highway” was written by Teisai Hokuba (1771-1844).
企画展では実に多くの旅行書が展示されていました。挿絵入りの本も多く楽しい展示でした。左上は絵には「追分宿の飯盛」と書かれています。女性たちが閨まで押しかけているようです。一方、右側の沓掛宿は雨中の旅（木曽街道図絵、蹄斎北馬（1771-1844）、1894年出版）。追分宿は楽しかったようですねえ。
Tableware used in inns were exhibited. The bowls of confections in the upper left were used in the luxurious inn which nobles and daimyo lords stayed. The bowl in the upper right was used in the inn which ordinary people stayed. It is also classy.
Ordinary people, most of them were farmers, had a few chances to travel. Having a dinner with luxurious tableware was probably unforgotten memory for them.
公家や大名が泊まる本陣・脇本陣、旅人が泊まる旅籠の什器が展示されていました。右上は、脇本陣・油屋の菓子鉢、左上は、旅籠・現金屋の椀、旅籠も負けていません。お伊勢参りなど一生一度の旅をする農民にとっては、豪華な漆器で食事を取ることは特別な思い出になったと思います。
Visited in October, 2022
Official website:
https://www.town.karuizawa.lg.jp/www/genre/1000100000049/ (in Japanese), accessed in December, 2022
休館日は上記の公式サイトでご確認ください。2022年度は、祝日でない水曜日と年末年始（12月28日～1月4日）が休館日で、7月15日～10月31日は無休でした。
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Culture、軽井沢歴史民俗資料館
Next post (Museum in the neighboring prefecture, Niigata): Salmon Museum、イヨボヤ（＝鮭）会館
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