Miya-juku



Miya-juku (宮宿) was the forty-first of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in former Owari Province in what is now part of the Atsuta-ku section of the city of Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was six km from Narumi-juku, the preceding post station.

History
In addition to being a post station on the Tōkaidō, Miya-juku was also part of the Minoji (a minor route which runs to Tarui-juku on the Nakasendō) and the Saya Kaidō. As a result, it had the most hatago of any post station along the Tōkaidō, with two honjin, one wakihonjin and 248 lesser inns.

The classic ukiyo-e print by Andō Hiroshige (Hōeidō edition) from 1831 to 1834 depicts two gangs of men dragging a portable shrine cart (not shown) past a huge torii gate. The torii gate is the symbol of a Shinto shrine, and the name of "Miya" also means a "Shinto shrine". The shrine in question is the famous Atsuta Shrine, one of the most famous in Japan and a popular pilgrimage destination in the Edo period. The area is now part of downtown Nagoya metropolis.

Neighboring post towns

 * Tōkaidō
 * Narumi-juku - Miya-juku - Kuwana-juku


 * Saya Kaidō
 * Miya-juku (starting location) - Iwazuka-juku


 * Minoji
 * Miya-juku (starting location) - Nagoya-juku