Near a railway crossing of the JR Obama Line in the Hikasa area of Wakasa is a stone guidepost that was erected in 1816. In addition to the date, the guidepost bears inscribed directions such as, “Right: pilgrimage route” and “Left: Echizen Province in the north.” It originally marked the junction of the heavily traveled Tango Kaido and Wakasa Kaido roads. However, the main routes through the area changed over time with the development of new means of transportation, and at present the crossing is rarely visited.
The Tango Kaido and Wakasa Kaido roads once connected Obama and other port towns along the Sea of Japan to surrounding provinces and the ancient capitals (first Nara and then Kyoto), serving as important trade and travel routes. They also lead to Matsuno’odera Temple and Hogonji Temple, temples No. 29 and No. 30 on the popular Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which encompasses 33 temples dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, in the Kansai area. Because of this, the sight of pilgrims dressed in distinctive white clothing was likely once common at the crossroads.
Several similar stone guideposts can still be found along the roads that run through the Wakasa region.
