The Harihatagoe Pass, also called the Negorizaka Slope, is the oldest road of the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”), a network of trade routes connecting Obama and Kyoto that were historically used to transport seafood and other goods between the bustling port city and the former capital of Japan. The road leads from the Onyu district of Obama, past Wakasahiko Shrine, Wakasa Jinguji Temple, the Unose district, and Kaminegori Village before reaching the peak of the mountain. Descending from the peak, travelers reached Kutsuki (modern-day Shiga Prefecture) and eventually entered Kyoto via Ohara in the north. It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), a prominent general who later founded the Tokugawa shogunate, once used the Harihatagoe Pass to return to Kyoto after a military campaign in Echizen Province in the late sixteenth century.
The ancient road cuts through a forest filled with beech and horse chestnut trees that are particularly lush in the summer months. Despite the road’s high altitude and how steep it can be in places, the Harihatagoe Pass was frequently used by travelers because it was once the shortest route between Obama and Kyoto. Along the road are various landmarks such as the legendary Goza Rock, an old well made of natural stone, and moss-covered Jizo statues that watched over travelers who braved the route on foot.
