島田宿(Shimada inn town): a big inn town before crossing a big river

I am going to divide Shimada inn town part into two: the inn town, and the river Oi crossing. 

Today you can still see old structures of narrow houses, but in overall, it is not easy to find traits of what old Shimada inn town used to be. Let’s look at the overview map.

There is a sign where Shimada inn town east gate used to be. 

Shimada had three honjin VIP inns, which means that the inn town was large, primarily because it is located in the east bank of river Oi. River Oi used to flood when heavy rain came. During early 1600s, Edo shogunate set a big construction project to strengthen dykes on the east bank. 

Still, especially on spring season, the snow on the southern Japanese alps melt, water filled up the river for days and weeks that it was impossible to cross the river. So travelers from the east had to stay in Shimada until the river water level is low enough to be able to cross. We will go on more details on the next blog. 

At a glance, Shimada inn town doesn’t look like having Edo-time old houses. Structure wise, many houses retain narrow-width-and-deep Machiya house structures. Arcades mask this structure. 

Another general info about Shimada inn town. 

This sign says that there used to be an Ichirizuka distance marker. 

This has probably nothing to do with Edo-time inn town. According to AI search, Kanro-no-idomizu(idomizu means well water), is a drinkable well water rich in minerals, and the well is about 110 years old. 

This sign indicates that this is where toiya cargo station used to be. 

Moving toward the city center, near JR Shimada station, take just a block from the Tokaido route. I found the sign of Jin’ya, an Edo-time administrative building, equivalent to today’s city hall, or a castle during the Battlefield Era(late 1500s). 

I forgot to mark this sign, but on the picture, you can see a cornerstone in front of the tanned-color wall. 

All three honjin inns were in this area. A sign at the bottom of the clock(which I forgot to mark), shows where Edo-side honjin inn(Shimizu-honjin) used to be. 

Across the street of this clock, there used to be Naka-honjin(central honjin inn). 

Let’s go back for a couple of blocks. I forgot to mention that there is a monument of memorial for Shimada sword smiths. For over 400 years until 19th century, there was a group of sword smiths in this area. They sold spears and swords to Imagawa clan, the ones that dominated today’s major part of Shizuoka prefecture. They also sold swords and spears to Takeda and Tokugawa clans. 

The Kyoto-side honjin inn, Kami-honjin, used to be here. 

Haiku master Basho Matsuo stayed in Shimada twice: October 1691 and May 1694. On his first visit, rain shower made him hurry into an inn, where he met the master of an inn for the first time. In responses to warm hospitality by the master and the inn, Basho wrote: 

宿かりて名を名乗らするしぐれかな

Stopping at an inn, 

the sudden rain shower made me introduce myself to the master. 

What a blessing. 

(Translation by use of AI, modified by me) 

This is Shimada’s last sake brewery, Omuraya Shuzo Co.Ltd, established in 1832. In those days, there were 7 sake breweries in Shimada in town. 

This is where the west gate of Shimada inn town was. 

Across the street, there is Oi shrine. This shrine worships 3 gods including god of water, god of land, and the god of the sun, “Amaterasu”. This shrine’s year of establishment is unknown, however, there is a record about this shrine in 865. Due to floods of Oi river, the shrine had to be relocated multiple times. Plus, when more settlements were established in upper side of the shrine during 1600s, domestic wastewater was running into the shrine. One of the shrine partitioners felt sorry to gods of shrine about this, and the shrine was relocated to where it is today. 

Shimada inn town is easily accessible from JR Shimada station. In fact, it’s only 3 blocks from the station to the main route.

Technically, this concludes Shimada inn town. However, less than 1.5km west of the inn town, the extension of Shimada inn town existed. And this part still preserves what an inn town right before crossing a big river used to look like. So we are moving on to this extension. 

References: 

The Monument of the poem “Stopping at an Inn” by the venerable Basho. The City of Shimada.(in Japanese: 芭蕉翁宿かりて句碑　島田市) https://www.city.shimada.shizuoka.jp/kanko-docs/basyouyadokarite.html (In Japanese only: accessed in 1/19/2026)

The official website of Oi Jinja.(In Japanese: 大井神社) https://www.ooijinjya.org/summary (In Japanese only. Accessed in 1/21/2026)

Omuraya Shuzojo Co.LTD. Sakemony. Japan Sake Craft Company Co.LTD. https://www.sakenomy.jp/en/brewery/K01N022014/?srsltid=AfmBOoru1PWvsoZpAQwrjXeM1h9GaOSscF6uxS9qWa6lP6q8TbvlRKAZ (Accessed in 1/21/2026)

Stroll map(of Tokaido). AMZ Environment Design Research Office Ltd.  shizuoka-tokaido.biz/en/map/index.html (Accessed in 1/15/2026) 

Walking through Shimada’s History(Shimada area). Shimada City Tourism Association. https://shimada--ta-jp.translate.goog/modelcourse/%E5%B3%B6%E7%94%B0%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%B4%E5%8F%B2%E3%82%92%E5%B7%A1%E3%82%8B%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US (translation by use of AI. Accessed in 1/21/2026)