Old Routes of Japan: Tracking down Japan off the beaten path from the eyes of a Japanese native

My San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido journey is entering the last chapter: Yamaguchi prefecture.  The biggest challenge I am encountering in my research is that, there are very few good resources about San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido trails in Yamaguchi prefecture. Even Google map does not track down old San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido anymore. So I might make more mistakes in tracking down the trail in this section. I did found several blogs of persons who traveled on this trail on foot. Plus, I am also referring to The Route of a 900-km Pilgrimage from Kyoto to Nagasaki(In Japanese: 日本二十六聖人　長崎への旅　巡礼MAP), published by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan.  Although I cannot locate the exact place of the east gate of Sekido inn town,  Sekido is in a small valley. I could not find the name of the brook in this valley. This is another reason to visit Iwakuni city.  This is one of a few things that Google map points out. Google map says this is the east Wakihonjin inn ruins.  The honjin inn r...

木野川渡し(Konogawa watashi) was the river crossing site on Oze(Kono) river of San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido highway. And it was the boarder of the country of Suo(周防:today’s southwestern Yamaguchi prefecture) and the country of Aki(安芸: today’s Hiroshima prefecture).  I use Kono River here, but the river is actually called Oze River as well. This is because the river has different names by Hiroshima and Yamaguchi locals. In Hiroshima, it has been called Kono, while it is called Oze in Yamaguchi.   This is one of places not featured on regular guidebook. It looks that, many people who know this place visit because of San’yodo/Saigoku Kaido trail.  We are sort of derailing off from the trail. Konogawa boat ride site had a honjin inn, in case of high water level of Kono river. Tsuya honjin’s gate has been preserved here.  This is my discovery from Google map/street views. Near Tsuya honjin inn, there is a good number of old houses as if this was late Edo or early Meiji period(mid to...