1. What is Kiyokawa Historical Park and Kiyokawa Barrier?

The Kiyokawa Historical Park is a historical park that opened in April 2019 in Kiyokawa, Shonai Town.

This is a new tourist spot full of atmosphere, where the gates and buildings of the checkpoint have been restored based on ancient documents and other historical records.

In the past, the main transportation network entering Shonai from inland was by boat on the Mogami River. Many people, things, and cultures landed in Kiyokawa.

Checkpoints are essential for the passage of various people and goods.

A checkpoint (*1) was also set up at Kiyokawa to check whether people travelling down the Mogami River had permission to pass through.
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(※1) Officially, a checkpoint is one that was established for tax collection or inspection, and a guard station is one that was established for surveillance. Kiyokawa was called the “Kawaguchi Bansho” because it was used to monitor shipping. However, the difference between a “checkpoint” and a “guard station” was unclear even to people at the time, so the word “checkpoint” is used, which is more familiar to most people. In this article, we will refer to it as “Kiyokawa Checkpoint.”

Let’s take a tour of the restored tourist spots at Kiyokawa Historical Park and Kiyokawa Barrier together.

① Kawaguchi Guard Station

Kawaguchi Bansho is a facility where officials from the Shonai Domain changed the handprints of people passing through the Kiyokawa River, and is the main building in Kiyokawa Historical Park. You can go inside the building to view historical materials, eat, and take a break.

The museum displays many documents essential to the history of Kiyokawa.

One of these is a reproduction of the Saito family home, which was a large village headman.

The Saito family was a high-ranking village headman who was in charge of local administration, and it is said that feudal lords and their retainers stayed there when they made alternate attendance trips to Edo.

The Saito family home was expanded to accommodate the feudal lord and his retainers. The expanded parts have also been recreated, so be sure to try and find them.

If you ask the staff at Kiyokawa Historical Park, they should be able to tell you the answer.

② Kanmokumon and Goryeomon

The Kabukimon Gate and the Koraimon Gate were restored by deciphering historical documents.

Standing in front of the gate makes you feel like you’ve traveled back in time.

Although I don’t know what the Kanbukimon and Korean Gate gates that stood here originally looked like, I can’t help but be impressed when I see the restored gates.

③ Boat Watch Station

The Funami Bansho (boat watch station) monitored cargo traveling on the Mogami River. The current Funami Bansho was built in the same place as it was then.

As land routes developed, National Route 47 came to run through its current location, but at that time, the Mogami River flowed right in front of Funami Bansho.

2. Experience the historic town of Kiyokawa

Just looking at the buildings of Kiyokawa Historical Park is enough to give you a sense of its charm, but if you go inside the Kawaguchi Guard Station or take a little stroll, you will get an even greater sense of why Kiyokawa is known as a village of history.

Let’s experience the history of Kiyokawa through the famous historical figures associated with the city.

① Kamakura Period｜The oldest period in which the name Kiyokawa remains

It is said that the name Kiyokawa first appeared in a historical document during the Kamakura period. It appears in the military tale Yoshitsune-ki, written about Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his key figures.

When Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his party fled to Hiraizumi in Oshu, they stopped off at Kiyokawa and are said to have spent the night at Goshonouji Shrine.

Photographs of the “Aoba no Fue” (green leaf flute) and “copying of sutras,” which are said to have been donated to the shrine at that time, are on display at Kawaguchi Guardhouse.

Items dating back a thousand years are perfect for stimulating the historical romance of fans of Japanese history.

② Edo Period | A popular tourist destination visited by 100,000 people a year

Kiyokawa Barrier is one of the cultural properties that make up the Japan Heritage site “A Journey of Rebirth, Where Nature and Faith Coexist – The Three Mounts of Dewa, which begins with 2,446 stone steps surrounded by cedar trees that are over 300 years old.”

At the time, it was called “Ise-mairi in the west, Oku-mairi in the east” (*2), and as many as 100,000 people came to make the pilgrimage to the Three Mounts of Dewa every year. Kiyokawa, at the entrance to the mountain, was also said to be bustling with activity.
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(※2) It is said that this name comes from the fact that Mount Yudono, one of the Three Mounts of Dewa, was called the “inner sanctuary.”

Among the famous people who are said to have visited the Three Mounts of Dewa, one you definitely want to remember is Matsuo Basho.

At Kawaguchi Bansho, there are panels on display introducing the Dewa route that Matsuo Basho took and the haiku he composed at each location.

In addition to the famous haiku that appear in Oku no Hosomichi, the book also features a variety of haiku that were written in Yamagata.

One of the attractions of Kiyokawa Historical Park, the place where Basho first landed, is that it allows you to imagine what Basho was like at the time.

③ Early Edo period | The origin of Shonai being known as a rice-producing region

In the early Edo period, signs began to appear that the area around Kiyokawa would later become a rice-producing area of Shonai.

Although the water source of the Mogami River is located right next to the area, it flows at a lower level than the land, making it impossible to draw water and making it difficult to cultivate rice.

At the time, Yoshimitsu Mogami ruled the Dewa Yamagata domain, which included the Shonai region. As a feudal lord, it was convenient for him to produce as much rice as possible.

Mogami Yoshimitsu ordered his vassal, Kitadate Daigaku Toshinaga, to build a dam in this area.

Quoted from Shonai Town Tourism Library

The Kitatate Weir was then completed, drawing water from the Tachiyazawa River, which is located at a higher elevation than the land.

Quoted from Shonai Town Tourism Library

Kitatate Oseki flows from the Tachiyazawa River along the Rikuu West Line. It is about a 10-minute walk from Kiyokawa Historical Park, so it’s worth taking the extra mile.

4. Late Edo period | The pioneer of the Meiji Restoration

Located close to Kiyokawa Historical Park is Kiyokawa Shrine, which enshrines Kiyokawa Hachiro.

Hachiro Kiyokawa is an indispensable figure when talking about the history of the Kiyokawa and the Meiji Restoration.

Tamakoshi says that if he had to sum up his way of life in one word, it would be “a man of intelligence and strong will who would recruit comrades for his goals, regardless of their status, clan, or shogunate status.”

The event that led to Hachiro being known as the pioneer of the Meiji Restoration occurred in 1863.

Despite being a supporter of the Sonno Joi faction (*3), Hachiro offered to be an escort for the Shogun who was traveling to Kyoto. The people he gathered were rōshi (masterless samurai) from various domains, as well as samurai who had been laid off due to the worsening economic situation of their domains.
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(*3) A political movement that supports respecting the Emperor and expelling foreign powers.

On February 23, Hachiro went to Kyoto with 234 other ronin and loudly declared that their true purpose was to revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians.

This was the event that led to Hachiro being called the pioneer of the Meiji Restoration.

When people hear this story, they will all have different thoughts.

However, by empathizing with Hachiro’s passionate desire to “absolutely accomplish the Sonno Joi movement,” we can experience the deep charm of the historic village of Kiyokawa.

The Kiyokawa Hachiro Memorial Museum, which displays personal belongings related to Kiyokawa Hachiro, is also full of things to see, so it’s a spot worth checking out.

⑤ Meiji Period | Shonai, the site of the Boshin War

Everyone has heard of the Boshin War in history classes. Many people probably imagine the Byakkotai of the Aizu clan and the Battle of Goryokaku.

In fact, a battle between the Shonai clan and the new government forces also took place in Kiyokawa. The battle took place in Gotenbayashi, located in Soba, Kiyokawa Historical Park.

It is very pleasant to stroll through the Gotenbayashi forest, and it is hard to believe that a battle took place here some 400 years ago.

However, there is also a somewhat solemn atmosphere, and it is a space where you can really feel the depth of history.

“I recommend taking a stroll through Gotenbayashi while you’re driving along National Route 47, as it’s a great way to change your mood,” says Tamakoshi, giving this spot his seal of approval.

3. After your stroll, enjoy the flavors of Kiyokawa

If you come to Kiyokawa Historical Park, you’ll want to enjoy some history at Restaurant Gotenchaya.

You can enjoy handmade soba, udon noodles, Japanese sweets, and more.

During your drive, it would be nice to take a break at the Gotenchaya restaurant.

On weekdays, you can enjoy Shonai Douhua, a Taiwanese sweet made with rich soy milk.

The gentle flavor of the syrup, made with fruits and cane sugar from Yamagata Prefecture, will have you coming back for more.

4. Message

We received a message from Tamakoshi, a history curator at Shonai Town’s Regional Revitalization Support Team, who introduced us to Kiyokawa Historical Park.

“Kiyokawa Historical Park is a place where many famous historical figures have visited, so I want people to feel the history.

We will also tell you stories related to the history of Kiyokawa, so please feel free to talk to our staff.

There are many ways to enjoy the area, from focusing on a single historical figure to exploring the entire Kiyokawa River. Please stop by.

Tamakoshi spoke profoundly from the unique perspective of a historia curator, saying, “Even if we have heard of historical events before, the way we see and feel history will be different depending on whose perspective we are looking at things from and who we sympathize with.”

Why not try experiencing some deep history at Kiyokawa, an essential part of modern-day Shonai?

5. Basic information

Opening hours
10:00~17:00

Opening period
March to November

Closed Days
Monday
(If a public holiday falls on a Monday, the next weekday)

Admission
Free
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● Restaurant Gotenchaya
Open Saturday, Sunday and holiday
Hours 11:00~14:00
Seating capacity : 24 seats
Large shared table : 10 seats
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● Bicycle rental information
Hours
10:00~17:00

Usage fee
Free (from 2024)

Usage
・Please apply at the Kiyokawa Checkpoint reception desk.
・Please present your ID for identity verification.
・Not available on regular holidays and during the winter season (December to February)