Kisohirasawa

This town, located in the center of Nagano Prefecture, developed on the large curve of the Narai River's flood plain in the south-central part of what is now Shiojiri City crisscrossed by the river and the Nakasendo Road. People have lived in the region since ancient times, but it began being maintained as a part of the Nakasendo Road by the Tokugawa shogunate government in 1602. The many highly distinctive buildings in the area speak of its history as a center for lacquer work. The town's main street is occupied by many store buildings and is connected directly to the Kinsai-cho neighborhood where artisans gathered, resulting in a townscape deeply colored by a history as a location where the entire lacquer work process, from production to sale, was conducted.