In the early Edo period, the system of post stations on the Nakasendō was formalized by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1602. The route between Ōkute-juku and Mitake-juku was long and the terrain was difficult, crossing the Biwa-toge Pass, so another post station was established as a resting spot in-between in 1610. This was Hosokute-juku, and it is located within the territory of Owari Domain. The temple of Kaigen-in, the bodaiji of the Toki clan, the shugo of Mino Province in the Muromachi period is located nearby,
Per the 1843 Шаблон:Nihongo4 guidebook issued by the Шаблон:Nihongo, the town had a population of 256 people in 65 houses, including one honjin, one waki-honjin, and 24 hatago. Hosokute-juku was 364.6 kilometers to Edo.
The route of the modern highway bypassed Hosokute-juku, so several old buildings of the post station have been preserved, including the honjin, Daikokuya, which is still open as an inn [2]
Hosokute-juku in The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō
Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e print of Hosokute-juku dates from 1835 -1838. The print depicts travelers climbing or descending a steep slope, with paddy fields and a range of mountains in the distance. In front is samurai with a bamboo water canteen suspended from his sword. Following is a woman in green kimono with a powdered white face. Going up the slope are a farmer with a backpack followed by his wife with a sickle. To the left , with only the upper half of his torso in view is a man with two bags, and the post station in the distance.
