DISCOVER FUKUI

Until the Meiji era, the "West Highway," commonly known as the "Horse-Carriage Highway," connecting Fuchu (Takefu) and Kono, played a vital role in transportation alongside the Kitamaebune ships. Horse-carriers, transporters who utilized horses to move goods, developed during the Muromachi period and were considered key figures in transportation. The route contained many difficult sections, and now that National Route 8 has taken over as the main thoroughfare, few travel this road. However, the inscription "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō" carved into the rock face is said to have been written by Priest Nichiei, the founding priest of Jōsai-ji Temple, to seal away a giant serpent (uwabami) that appeared. Other remnants, such as Benkei's footprints, the site of the Kuchidome checkpoint, stone pavements, carved U-shaped drainage channels, and stone Buddha statues, also remain, telling the story of the prosperity that once connected Fuchu and Tsuruga.