Old Tokaido Road (Hi-no-Oka Pass)

This road was called the Tokaido in the Edo period (1603-1868), and was one of the most important highways in Japan. It was developed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who founded the Edo shogunate.
In the days of the shogun, wheeled vehicles were prohibited from using the Tokaido highway, but the section between Otsu and Kyoto, nearest to the capital, was an exception. The road was divided into two: one route for people and horses, and other for oxcarts carrying luggage. The cart route was paved with stones, known as “kuruma-ishi” or “wheel-stones.”
Initially, the Hi-no-Oka Pass was one of the most treacherous sections between Otsu and Kyoto, so the cart route was dug deep, creating a difference in level with the pedestrian route for people and horses. This meant that when it rained, the whole thing turned into a muddy bog and carts would get stuck, unable to move.
To deal with this issue, a priest called Mokujiki Shozen started rebuilding the road in 1734, adding sand and earth to fill it up level with the pedestrian route, shaving off the peak of the pass and using the soil to make the slope more gentle. The work was completed in 1738, dramatically improving the route over the pass.
Later, Mokujiki founded the Baiko-an temple near the pass as a base to maintain the road from. He also dug a well, allowing water to flow out the mouth of a stone turtle. This fountain was named Ryogusui, and was used to slake the thirst of travelers, horses, and oxen, and make tea for visitors in a stone kiln.
Kyoto City