Chichibu Geopark

Basic points

This is a Sekisho (checkpoint) established by Shingen Takeda, a famous military commander of 16th century Japan during the Sengoku (Civil Wars) period, for the purpose of monitoring traffic on the highway Chichibu Okan that connected modern-day Saitama, Yamanashi, and Nagano. This checkpoint has been designated as a national historic site.

An old highway runs through Shimanto belt, and around the Tochimoto Sekisho is the Tochimoto village where old buildings remain. The fields made on the steep slopes of the village elucidate the life of the people who have lived here since the past.