48th Station: Saka-no-shita

Sakanoshita flourished as a post town during the Edo period because of its location at the entrance to the Suzuka Pass (Suzuka Toge). The area attracted many visitors from Kyoto because of the beauty of the rugged mountain ranges. Here, travelers rest at an open teahouse. They are looking across a ravine to the rocky heights opposite and the blue hills beyond, either just admiring the view or possibly thinking about the hazardous journey ahead through the pass.

Ultimately, the Suzuka Pass was the reason for the post town's decline in the Meiji period. The pass was too steep for rail lines to be laid, so the rail went through Tsuge Station (present-day Iga), bypassing the formerly flourishing town. The only thing that marks the former site is a stone marker built by the former town of Seki.