Kumagawa before the Post-Town Era

Long before Kumagawa became an Edo-period post town, it was a small village at the junction of Wakasa and Omi Provinces where travelers rested before crossing the Hozaka Pass toward Lake Biwa or Kyoto. Records from the early 1400s show an inspection facility here, confirming the road was already a key trade corridor linking the capital with the Sea of Japan coast. The area was ruled by the Numata family in the 16th century; their daughter Jako married the general and poet Hosokawa Fujitaka, and later defended Tanabe Castle during a 1600 siege, earning lasting recognition.