TOKYO

Kobotoke Checkpoint Ruins

Kobotoke Checkpoint Ruins: Hike the Mountainside gateway to Old Edo.

Kobotoke Checkpoint Ruins mark a former Koshu Kaido checkpoint, once strictly guarded to control travel, now preserving relics and a historic mountain-road atmosphere.

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Kobotoke Checkpoint Ruins are the remains of a former checkpoint on the Koshu Kaido, an important highway that once connected Edo (present-day Tokyo) with Kai Province (Yamanashi). During the Edo period, checkpoints like this were used by the Tokugawa shogunate to control travel, prevent smuggling, and maintain security around Edo. Kobotoke was considered one of the most strictly guarded checkpoints on the route. Its origins date back to the late 16th century, when the warlord Hojo Ujiteru established a barrier near Kobotoke Pass to control movement across the border between Musashi and Sagami provinces. After the Hojo clan was defeated in 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu reorganized the checkpoint system, and Kobotoke was relocated to its present site and strengthened as a key gateway on the Koshu Kaido. Historical records show that the checkpoint had gates on both sides, a guardhouse, bamboo fences, and nearby river defenses to restrict passage. Typically, four guards were stationed here, and travelers were allowed to pass only during fixed hours and with official travel permits. All checkpoints were abolished by government order in 1869, and the buildings at Kobotoke were dismantled. Today, no structures remain, but stone relics such as the Tegata-ishi, where permits were placed, and the Tezuke-ishi, where travelers waited for inspection, can still be seen. Designated a National Historic Site in 1928, the area now preserves the atmosphere of an old mountain road and is popular for hiking, especially during the plum blossom season.

Photo courtesy of Hachioji City Board of Education

Access Information

419 Uratakaomachi, Hachioji City, Tokyo

Phone number

+81 42-620-7265

Business hours

Open daily

WEB site

https://www.city.hachioji.tokyo.jp/kankobunka/003/005/p005202.html

Digital Map