10/05/2021
We just finished up a 4-day / 140km walk with friends along the SHIONOMICHI (“Salt Road”), a historic trail used for centuries to haul the invaluable commodity salt as well as other marine products and desired goods between Echigio (present day Itoigawa on the Sea of Japan) and landlocked Shinshu’s (present day Nagano’s) seat of power - Matsumoto Castle. There were other “salt roads” across Japan, but this one is recognized as the longest and by far the most important by any measure.
Japan’s Nakasendo and Kumano Kodo trails garner a lot of worthy attention and see visitors from all over the world owing to their representative status as Japan’s top 2 historic walking routes, yet the Shionomichi is still flying very much under the radar of the outside world - and relatively unheralded domestically as well. This is somewhat surprising given the rich history, cultural importance and scenic beauty the trail offers. I believe it boils down to:
1) Somewhat Inconvenient access to the rural areas through which the trail passes; though this is improving
2) Lack of information and planning resources available online; especially in English
3) Inefficient marketing on the part of the small villages that contain the most-preserved, and therefore most appealing, sections of trail
But make no mistake - things will change. In fact, I have a feeling the SHIONOMICHI will join the Nakasendo and Kumano Kodo to form a Japanese historic trail trifecta. It makes perfect sense:
The Nakasendo could be considered Japan’s premier POLITICAL route, since it served primarily processions of members of the royal court, daimyo and feudal lords. The Kunmano Kodo is the chief representative of Japan’s remaining RELIGIOUS routes walked by pilgrims, monks and ascetics, and the Shionomichi was a COMMERCIAL trade route plodded tirelessly 364 days a year by common men and women, trains of oxen and in parts - horses.
The human workers of the trail were known as “bokka”, and carried on average 45 to 60kg (99 to 132 lbs.) in their wooden-framed packs with braided-straw shoulder straps, up and over perilous mountain passes fraught with risk and perils. Many died of exposure, falls and exhaustion. Winter posed the greatest challenge, since the route cuts straight through the heart of Japan’s heavy snow country - where the mountain sections would have been blanketed in an average of 5m (16.5 ft.) of snow for a good portion of the year. During the snow months, oxen and horses were unable to pass, so all that was carried was done so on the backs of wooden snowshoe-clad porters.
Stone statues from a variety of religions, including of course Buddhism but also a number of fascinating folk religions, dot the entirety of the trail. Some serve to offer up prayers of protection for current and future travelers, some are meant to seal the borders of small settlements off from unwelcome spiritual influences and bad luck; still others commemorate the men, women and pack animals that didn’t survive the long, hard journey.
There are multiple paths in places. This was not to make travel confusing, but rather to ensure that a steady stream of salt could safely reach its intended destination regardless of landslides, avalanches or flooding destroying trails or bridges. It is believed that the oldest parts of the trail were first used more than 6,000 years ago during the Jomon Period (Stone Age) to facilitate the trade of Jade from the coast for obsidian from the volcanic interior.
However its daily use as a lifeline for transporting vital salt is how the trail is best known to the world today - and where it earned its name. The trail was already in use during the Sengoku (“Warring States”) Period that kicked off at the end of the 15th Century, had it’s heyday around the late 18th Century and faded rapidly out of use with the construction and completion of new road and rail lines during the early part of the Meiji Era (late 19th Century).
The once-vibrant trail lay forgotten but not gone for nearly 100 years alongside the roads that replaced it, or under the thick cover of weeds and fallen trees and leaves of the forests and mountains that still held the memories and lingering evidence of its former glory, until 1976. That’s when a historical researcher published the first book on the subject, re-introducing the Salt Road to a modern audience. The book spurred action by locally-organized groups of volunteers who worked tirelessly to restore and re-map the route. Historic documents and the ubiquitous, easily-recognizable stone statues, shrines, temples and other remnants along the way marked the way and helped the work proceed, and now almost 50 years later it is possible to cover and rediscover the trail from start to finish! Around 50% of the route, mostly between Itoigawa and Hakuba, is dirt trail or unpaved roads, while the later half is almost entirely on asphalt.
It’s a long, tough journey - but there is so much to see and learn along the way. It is an excellent introduction to ancient and modern Japanese life, history, culture and tradition that few other experiences can offer. I have always felt that countries are best seen on foot, and spent more than a decade organizing all of my travels on that notion. These last 4 days have reaffirmed that belief, as I felt a connection to the landscape and the people that seemed different, and deeper than most of the 17 years I have called Japan home.
A highly recommended route, but the lack of information and infrastructure can still make it daunting - especially if you’re contemplating a thru-hike as opposed to tackling it by section. I do hope to work hard the next few years to slowly change that. We’l be putting together a video of this most-recent trip to hopefully give others a better idea of what to expect and how to pack and prepare.
And last - if you’d like to head out on your own Salt Road adventure, we’d be honored to guide you through answers to general questions or hopefully even lead you along in person! We are locally based, passionate about the Shionomichi, have spent years walking the trail and studying its history, have been taught directly by some of - if not the most-regarded experts on the route, and are working with our local government to be certified as the first official English-speaking Salt Road guide in Japan.
