Tokyo's cherry blossom season has come. After the last
two weeks the urban sakura has
almost run its course, but the
blossoms in the mountains lag
behind, and now reach their peak.
Many good mountain sakura
locations
are in easy reach of the capital, and this
one coincides with a
relatively relaxing hike
to its north: up the 305m Mount Hiwada (日和田山),
in Hidaka-shi, Saitama Prefecture. Besides
its profusion of cherry blossom trees, this route is a lovely blend
of scenic views, casual mountain trekking and gorgeous fields of
seasonal flowers, with a waterfall thrown in because well why not.
Hiwada-yama
overlooks the little town of Koma (高麗),
a couple of stations up the Seibu Chichibu Line from Hannō
city.
There is more to Koma than there appears. Its story begins a
millennium and a half ago: not in Musashi, as the region was then,
nor in fact in Japan at all, but in Korea.
Koma
is the Japanese rendition of Goguryeo
(고구려):
one of three kingdoms on the Korean peninsula from the first century
BCE to 668 CE, and the ultimate source of the name Korea
in English. It was by far the largest of the three, and controlled
parts of what is now northeast China, and some Siberian Tungusic
populations, in addition to most of the Korean peninsula itself. The
other two kingdoms, Baekje and Silla, neighboured Goguryeo on the
peninsula's southwest and southeast corners respectively.
 |
| Also shown is the Gaya Confederacy, annexed by Silla in 562 CE. Japan is in the lower-right corner, indicated by its ancient name Wa (倭). |
Like the disgraces of too many
human societies, these three kingdoms decided, for some unpardonable
reason, that they ought to violently compete. Goguryeo ended up in an
alliance with Baekje, but Silla developed a relationship with a much
more formidable partner. That partner was, of course, China, that
ever-present shadow across the long Korean story.
With the help of the Chinese Tang
Dynasty, Silla conquered Baekje in 660 CE, then Goguryeo in 668 CE,
then turned on the Tang themselves and drove their forces out of the
peninsula. This unified Silla would eventually fragment and
recombine, becoming superseded by Goryeo; Goryeo in turn lasted until
the pressure of Mongol occupation and internal wars broke it down, to
be replaced by Joseon. Joseon was what eventually crashed into the
twentieth century as the European empires ripped off great chunks of
Qing China in their slavering maws, and propelled Japan into a rapid,
and ultimately tragic, pursuit of European-style imperialist
“modernity”.
In the last hundred years, the
Korean destiny has been bound irreparably to the drool of hungering
foreign powers; half a century of Japanese occupation was followed by
a brutal severing in half by the Cold War blocs. Both halves built
themselves up upon cruel and ruthless authoritarianism, but have come
to define themselves relative to the world in opposite ways. One half
has fully embraced the capitalist madnesses that rampage across
humanity. The other has created madnesses of its own by slamming the
door on the outside world, and resolving come what may to never rely
on anyone else again.
But
let's rewind, back to the three kingdoms. When Silla conquered
Goguryeo in 668 CE, many of Goguryeo's people fled across the sea to
Japan. These immigrants found places to live across what is now the
Kantō
region, but in 716 the Japanese court established Koma County for
them, whereupon almost 2000 of them are recorded as having moved
there. One of their royals, by the name of Jakko (잣고),
was appointed as Koma's governor, and is celebrated in Koma's
heritage as having taken responsibility to construct roads, buildings
and industries in what was then mostly wilderness, thereby creating a
foundation for Koma's future. Jakko is now enshrined at Koma Shrine,
which is overseen, it is claimed, by his direct descendants.
 |
| Koma. The town itself has a pleasant, colourful rural atmosphere. |
This hiking route can be
completed within four hours, and starts with a gentle circuit around
a beautiful field of flowers and sakura trees. It then leads
up to the top of Mt. Hiwada, Koma's centrepiece, where the best views
are in evidence. From there it proceeds along the forested ridge to
Monomi-yama (物見山),
before winding its way down past the Five Virtues Waterfall (Gojō
no taki, 五常ノ滝)
to come out at Musashi-Yokote (武蔵横手)
station. And if you have time and energy to spare, it is worth
closing the triangle with a walk back to Koma along the picturesque
Yokote Valley.
To get there, take the Seibu
Ikebukuro Line to Hannō –
or, if coming from further west, the Hachikō
Line to Higashi-Hannō. Then
change to the Seibu Chichibu Line, on which it is two or one stops
respectively to Koma station. This takes about an hour and a half
from central Tokyo.
There is a bit of climbing
involved, so good shoes are recommended, but none of it is long or
backbreaking. There are plenty of convenience stores and facilities
on the way, and the mountains themselves are fairly popular, have
occasional houses and public toilets, and are easy to get on and off
as needed.
