Japan Heritage story
Wakasa and the Saba Kaido: the mackerel road to Kyoto
海と都をつなぐ若狭の往来文化遺産群
For about 1,500 years the coast of Wakasa fed the capital. Salted mackerel went over the mountains to Kyoto on what is now called the Saba Kaido, the mackerel road.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Ancient burial mounds, Sea and waterside, Forests and timber, Festivals and rituals, Food and sake
- Era
- Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, Edo
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 海と都をつなぐ若狭の往来文化遺産群
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～御食国（みけつくに）若狭と鯖街道～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福井県（小浜市，若狭町）
The story
In ancient times Wakasa, on the Sea of Japan in today's Fukui, was a miketsukuni, a province that supplied the imperial court with salt and seafood. Later it kept Kyoto's kitchens stocked: fish salted once on the coast arrived in the city just right, and "Wakasa ichishio" is still prized in Kyoto today.
The routes over the mountains are now called the Saba Kaido, the mackerel road. They carried more than fish: people, goods, Buddhist culture and Kyoto festivals travelled along them too, leaving temples, old streets and folk events all the way along.
What to see
- Kumagawa-juku (Wakasa town): the busiest relay stop on the road, said to have seen a thousand pack horses a day. Plastered merchant houses and storehouses line the old street.Google Maps 熊川宿 (opens in a new tab)
- Obama: the port where the roads began. Early in the Muromachi period, about 600 years ago, a foreign ship landed an elephant here, the first in Japan, and it was walked to Kyoto. The Hojo-e festival in the old merchant quarter descends from Kyoto's Gion festival.
- Ancient tombs along the Kita River: the Wakibukuro tomb group is linked to the clan that ran the imperial kitchens.
- Harihata pass: a steep but shorter route over the mountains to Kurama in Kyoto.
Coming from Kyoto? See the Kyoto prefecture guide and follow the road in reverse.
Good to know
- Try grilled or pressed mackerel in Obama, then compare it with mackerel sushi in Kyoto at the other end of the road.
- Look for Wakasa-nuri lacquer, a local craft that grew from techniques brought by foreign trade.
- Kumagawa-juku is a good half-day stop if you drive between Obama and Lake Biwa.
Questions travellers ask
Why is it called the mackerel road?
The name comes from an Edo-period market record about carrying salted mackerel on foot to Kyoto. Mackerel was the best-known cargo.
Can you walk the Saba Kaido?
Yes, in sections. The old street of Kumagawa-juku is the easiest place to start.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.