51st Station: Ishibe

Ishibe was originally founded in 1571, when Oda Nobunaga established the town by joining the five nearby villages. In 1597, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a daimyo warrior, general and politician, further developed the post station to be used for the shipment of goods by travelers on their way to Zenko. When the Tokaido was established in 1601, Ishibe became an official post station.

This scene shows travelers dropping in and out of a teahouse known for its specialties — dishes of bean curd coated with bean paste and rice boiled with vegetables. The short curtain (noren) around the front and sides bears the name of the store in white letters against a dyed dark-blue background.

This station was one of the most desolate stations on the highway but it took only about a day to travel from Kyoto to Ishibe. Inside the post station, there were 492 structures that stretched approximately one mile, as recorded in 1863. Not much remains today of the original buildings.