Kumagawa Guardhouse

Built during the Kan'ei era by the lord of the Obama domain, this guardhouse controlled movement along the Wakasa Kaido trade road connecting Obama and the Sea of Japan to Kyoto. Two officials stationed here checked travel permits, interrogated travelers, and taxed goods passing through Kumagawa-juku. The taxes collected were a major income source for the domain. Restored in 2002, the interior now displays two life-sized figures at work, along with the three arrest tools standard to Edo-period guardhouses: the sasumata fork pole, the tsukubo T-bar, and the spike-tipped sodegarami for snagging clothing.