掛川宿(Kakegawa inn town/castle town):

掛川宿(Kakegawa inn town) is the 26th inn town of Tokaido. It means that we have covered a half of Tokaido inn towns. Kakegawa is one of starting points of 秋葉街道(Akiha Kaido) pilgrimage roads. Also, it is a castle town of Kakegawa castle, which has been rebuilt with woods with combination of modern and traditional technologies for the first time in Japan. 

Today, Kakegawa inn town does not have much hints of Edo-time inn town. Unlike Tokyo or Shizuoka, Kakegawa was not severely bombed by air raids during WWII. The current landscape of the town is due to modernization of the town since WWII. 

Starting around the Edo-side gate. Today, most of things we will find about old Tokaido in this town are structures of roads. From here, 東海道七曲り(Tokaido Nanamagari), a series of seven turns. It is a structure to slow down enemies of Tokugawa shogunate from the west of Japan. 

The tall building on the right side of the image with 杉町区(Sugimachiku) is a storage for 山車(dashi) traditional festival float. 

On this seven-turn road, there is Akiha Joyato light(I did not post this image here, but when you walk or go on street view, you will find it). 

Kakegawa inn town was on the route of transportation of sea salt. The sign shows that merchants transported sea salt from cape Omaezaki and the Pacific Ocean coast, via Kakegawa, all the way through Akiha Kaido and beyond, to today’s Nagano prefecture, and other areas. 

The information board about the seven-turn road. On top of Edo-side gate upon entering the inn town, at the end of the seventh turn, there was another gate and a security office for defense. 

The building on the right side, at the corner of the intersection, is Keikaen Japanese sweets shop. The shop has 120-year history. 

An old warehouse, attached to a modern house. This is a kimono wear shop. 

There are buildings to honor the time of old Tokaido inn town. The building on the right side of the image is a bank. The building itself is new. 

There were two honjin inns in Kakegawa. I’m be of them used to be here. Today, the honjin ruins has become restaurants and bar street called Kakegawa Honjin Dori(Kakegawa Honjin Street). I could not locate where the other honjin ruins was. 

Kakegawa castle is about 4 blocks north of Tokaido highway. The castle tower is the view point of Mt.Fuji from the city center. 

Its castle palace is one of very rare surviving castle palaces from Edo period. This is one of things I’ve been ignoring to visit. Next time I swing by Kakegawa, I’d love to visit the palace. 

Another back building of Shimizu bank. Of course, the building was designed to fit in the old-day atmosphere. 

Overall, when I visited downtown Kakegawa, many businesses are closed, or empty. In the arcade street, I do see machiya-style structure of “land”, but it is very hard to know how many of these houses are over a century old or older. Most likely, these are no older than 1950s. 

According to the stroll map(see the reference section), Toiyaba cargo terminal was across the street of Tokaido from this bank. 

Enmanji temple, moved out of Kakegawa castle in 1597, preserves Fuki gate of Kakegawa castle. A few gates of Kakegawa castle have been transferred to temples. Another one, Yusanji temple in Fukuroi city, preserves Ote Ninomon gate. 

Tokuunji temple. AI review says this is a temple relocated from inside Kakegawa castle by lord Kazutoyo Yamauchi. But I could not find a good resource for this statement. 

Moving away from the city center. 

Here we are heading northwest. 

This is a park with a weird name, called 十九首水源地公園(Jukyushu Suigenchi Koen: the Water Source Park of the Nineteen  Heads). Briefly, this area has a legend. Lord Masakado Taira(903-940), who attempted the first-recorded uprising against the imperial government, was killed in action in today’s Ibaragi prefecture(east of Tokyo). As his head was cut off and was being transferred to Kyoto, an imperial envoy from Kyoto happened to meet with the group with Masakado’ head along with other 19 warriors’ heads. The envoy checked the heads, which was the rule of identifying enemies, and decided to bury them here. Tombs are located near Tokoji temple. However, there are many other places throughout central Japan with similar legends related to Masakado. Ironically, lord Masachika Ii(1536-1563) was killed by Yasutomo Asahina, who was the lord of Kakegawa castle. And some people connects the curse of Masakado with this event. 

West side of the gate is a bit further west of this street. 

The access is JR Kakegawa station. It is very easy to get there. You could also use Tenryu-Hamanako Railways Nishi Kakegawa station, to start at the west gate ruins site, which takes about 13-15 minutes on foot. 

The next stop is 原川(Haragawa) unofficial inn town. It will be a brief stop. 

References: 

Historic sites related to Yamauchi Kazutoyo. Kakegawa city. https://www.city.kakegawa.shizuoka.jp/gyosei/translate/en/docs/8450.html (AI translated. Accessed in 4/22/2026)

Kakegawa castle palace. Kakegawa Tourism Association. https://www-kakegawa--kankou-com.translate.goog/kanko/guide/facility_detail.php?_mfi=40&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=ja&_x_tr_hl=ja (AI translated. Accessed in 4/22/2026)

Kakegawa Juku. Model Course. Kakegawa City. https://www.city.kakegawa.shizuoka.jp/kanko/translate/en/docs/13113.html (AI translated. Accessed in 4/22/2026)

Nineteen Heads Mounds. Kakegawa Tourism Association. https://www.kakegawa-kankou.com/kanko/guide/facility_detail.php?_mfi=247# (AI translated. Accessed in 4/22/2026)

Stroll map(of Tokaido). AMZ Environment Design Research Office Ltd.  http://shizuoka-tokaido.biz/en/map/index.html (Accessed in 4/21/2026)