Shikagō Ichirizuka
The is a historic Japanese distance marker akin to a milestone, comprising a pair of earthen mounds located in what is now the Shinzaike neighborhood of the city of Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1940. Overview During the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate established ichirizuka on major roads, enabling calculation both of distance travelled and of the charge for transportation by kago or palanquin. These mounds, denoted the distance in ri () to Nihonbashi, the "Bridge of Japan", erected in Edo in 1603. Since the Meiji period, most of the ichirizuka have disappeared, having been destroyed by then elements, modern highway construction and urban encroachment. In 1876, the "Ichirizuka Abolition" decree was issued by the Meiji government and many were demolished at that time. Currently, 17 surviving ichirizuka are designated as national historic sites. The Shikagō ishirizuka was not located on one of the major historic highways, bu was built one ri from Kyobashi over the outer moat of Wakayama Castle (currently the Ichihori River). In 1615 when Tokugawa Yorinobu became daimyō of Kishū Domain, he rebuilt Wakayama Castle and the surrounding castle town. The main road