First Ham made in Japan: 戸塚宿(Totsuka Inn Town)

(Picture below: Hiroshige Utagawa, “Totsuka; Moto Machi Betsudo”, published in 1834. The original print from The Metropolitan Library of Arts, New York City. Public domain. Accessed in 2/16/2025)

Before entering Totsuka inn town, there are a few things we want to cover. First, Shinanosaka is the first steepest hill from Edo, and the last steep hill to overcome from Kyoto side. 

After you go down on Shinanozaka for about 3.4 km, there is a sign on Google map that says “The warehouse of Kamakura Ham”. 
Kamakura Ham was originally made by William Curtis from England in 1887, in Kamakura county of Kanagawa prefecture. Today, Kamakura county itself has been merged with several cities including Yokohama, Kamakura and Fujisawa. 
I did more research about this warehouse. I cannot convince myself that this is the warehouse. 
Then I saw the website of Yokohama Kokudo office, Kanto Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism. according to this leaflet, this brick warehouse on Tokaido is indeed the warehouse of the first pork ham in Japan. 
There are several companies in this area that make pork ham. 
Continuing on Tokaido. You will see Aeon mall by the road. In Japan, everybody loves Aeon malls because there are good food courts, affordable supermarket, boutiques, arcade game plazas, movie theater etc. In front of this Aeon mall, the Edo-side gate of Totsuka Tokaido inn town used to be there.  
Are there any part of this town that preserves old days of Tokaido inn town? I think my answer is yes, but it’s hard to find it other than shrines and temples. In my research, further west you go, more you find what old-old-days Tokaido used to be. This is basically the same for Nakasendo. On Google map, I found a few old houses that were potentially build in early 1900sor late 1800s.

Coming to the center of inn town, we are crossing a bridge. This is where Hiroshige drew “Totsuka; Moto Machi Betsudo”.
 

After crossing the bridge, old Tokaido bears left and takes a long right curve along Zenryoji temple, to JR Totsuka station. This temple was established in 1233. The current temple building is very unique and reminds me rather of a Christian church or synagogue than a typical Buddhist temple. Former locations of toiya “the cargo terminal” and Honjin “the VIP hotel” were all near today’s JR Totsuka station. 

Toward the end of Totsuka inn town, Tokaido bears right and passes by Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, established in 1072. Apparently this shrine is the origin of the regional name “Totsuka”. 

There are more to cover, such as temples strains, milestones. For more details, I am posting links below. Unfortunately the most of them are in Japanese only.

Former Tokaido Totsuka-juku. City of Yokohama Totsuka Ward. https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp.e.sj.hp.transer.com/totsuka/shokai/gaiyo/rekisiwalk/totukasyuku.html (Accessed in 2/18/2025)

Kamakura County(original title:) 鎌倉郡　Wikipedia.com https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%8E%8C%E5%80%89%E9%83%A1 (Accessed in 2/16/2025)

Yokohama City Totsuka Ward Office. Historical Walking Map of Old Tokaido Totsuka Inn Town. Published in 5/2009. Partially revised in 3/2021. (Original title:旧東海道戸塚宿の歴史を歩く散策マップ　平成21年5月発行　令和3年3月一部改訂　横浜市戸塚区役所総務部区政推進課　企画調整係) https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kanagawa/shokai/rekishi/syuku.files/totukasyuku.pdf (Accessed in 2/18/2025)

Yokohama Kokudo office, Kanto Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism. Tokaido inn town walking map. (Original title:てくてく東海道宿場探訪マップ　国土交通省関東地方整備局横浜国道事務所) https://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/yokohama/tokaido/06_map/pdf/step2.pdf (Accessed in 2/18/2025)

Yoshoku Roots Story. Plenus ”Kome” Academy. Accessed in 2/18/2025. https://www.plenus.co.jp/kome-academy/en/roots/food.html (Accessed in 2/17/2025)












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