The Harihatagoe Pass, also known as the Negorizaka Slope, is one of the oldest roads of the Saba Kaido (“Mackerel Road”), a network of trade routes historically used to transport goods between the port city of Obama and Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. The pass goes through the Onyu district of Obama, over the mountains to Kutsuki (in modern-day Shiga Prefecture), and then on to Kyoto via Ohara in the north.
The highest point of the Harihatagoe Pass can be reached by walking about two hours from Kaminegori, an uninhabited mountain village along the route that sits about 300 meters above sea level. At the peak is a small roadside shrine that contains two Buddhist statues carved from stone. Near the shrine is a kyozuka (“sutra mound”), a stone monument under which many small stones are buried, each engraved with one kanji character from a Buddhist sutra. The inscription on the monument asserts that it was erected in 1797. The kyozuka reflects the religious customs of Saba Kaido travelers who prayed for safe passage at such monuments before continuing their journeys.
