Shimabara Road; Palanquin (Kago) Stands
Shimabara Road
Shimabara Road was a major road that circled the Shimabara Peninsula during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The road from Shimabara Castle to Aino (North Road), which runs half-circularly along the Ariake Sea on the northern side of the Shimabara Peninsula to Aino, is still called the ‘Lord’s Road’. It is so called because it joined the Nagasaki Road at Isahaya on the way to Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the pilgrimage of the daimyo (feudal lord) to Shimabara.
Along the road extending from the Shimabara City border east of here towards Mount Unzen are the ruins of Gomanchoja. These ruins are thought to be the remains of a representative temple in the Takaku-no-kori area of Hizen Province in the Nara period, and three burial mounds, including Koge Tomb, which is thought to have been built in the mid-6th century is called ‘Cave of the Demons.’
Palanquin (Kago) Stand
The palanquin or kago stand is where the lord had his palanquin placed when he took a rest. It is thought that this is where the palanquin stood to rest during a long journey.