Shidan-kaido Road (師団街道)
The Shidan-kaido Road is a street running north-south in Kyoto City. Located east of the Takeda-kaido Road, it parallels the west of the Keihan Main Line of Keihan Electric Railway.
In the north it is connected to Kawabata-dori Street at Shiokojibashi-higashizume (the east foot of Shiokoji-bashi Bridge), and in the south it crosses National Highway Route No. 24 and is connected to Kyomachi-dori Street (Fushimi) in downtown Fushimi.
The section from the Ryu-dai-mae crossing up to an area near the Meishin Expressway has 2 lanes in each direction, but the section south from the Oiwa-kaido Road consists of one way traffic heading south.
It originates from Dai Juroku Shidan (16th division) of the Imperial Japanese Army (Japanese troops), which was located in Fukakusa, Fushimi Ward.
Bokusen-ji Temple (place of the Legend of Sumiiro (the legend that the color of the cherry blossoms turned into Sumiiro, light ink black, a poem composed by KAMITSUKE no Mineo))
It was once also called Sumizome-dori Street, because it leads to Sumizome-cho Fushimi Ward--the name is rarely used today.
History
With the establishment of Dai Juroku Shidan (16th division) of the Imperial Japanese Army, it was designated a national highway that connected downtown Kyoto and the Army's divisional headquarters in 1911.
After World War II it was designated National Highway Route No. 24, though it was subsequently taken over by Takeda-kaido Road in 1971.
Daiichi Gundo (first military road), Daini Gundo (second military road), Daisan Gundo (third military road)
With the establishment of Dai Juroku Shidan (16th division) of the Imperial Japanese Army, military facilities were established along Sujikaibashi-dori Street (Honmachi-dori Street) and as a result three east-west roads were built by the Army to connect Shidan-kaido Road and Sujikaibashi-dori Street through bridges over the Biwako Sosui (channel) (Kamo-gawa Canal) and the Keihan Electric Railway,
From the north, the roads were individually called Daiichi Gundo, Daini Gundo, and Daisan Gundo.
The Gundo is said to have been opened in 1909, a year after the divisional headquarters were established (in 1908).
Daiichi Gundo (first military road)
It extended between Kyoto Heiki-shisho (Kyoto branch of the Heikisho, organization of former Japanese army) and Kyoto Drill Court.
It crosses the Sosui (channel) and the Keihan Electric Railway by the Sunagawa-bashi bridge and the Nishi-sunagawa-bashi bridge to connect Sujikaibashi-dori Street (9 Chome, Fukakusa-Sujikaibashi) and Shidan-kaido Road (Shidan-kaido Road Ryu-dai-mae crossing). Today it belongs to a prefectural road (Nakayama-Inari-sen, Kyoto Fudo 201 Go (Kyoto Prefectural Road 201)).
Daini Gundo (second military road)
The road, among others, was regarded important, because it ran in front of Kyoto Drill Court and led to divisional headquarters (present-day Honkan (main building) of Kyoto/Fujimori Campus), Seibo Gakuin School.
It crosses the Sosui (channel) and the Keihan Electric Railway by Shidan-bashi Bridge and Nishi-Shidan-bashi Bridge to connect Sujikaibashi-dori Street (6 Chome, Fukakusa-Sujikaibashi) and Shidan-kaido Road (Fukakusa-Noda-cho). A Gobosei (pentacle) mark-a symbol of the Army--remains on a girder of the Shidan-bashi Bridge over the Sosui (channel).
Daisan Gundo (third military road)
It faced the front gate of Yaho-heitai (field gun crew).
It crosses the Sosui (channel) and the Keihan Electric Railway by the Nakanogo-hashi Bridge and the Nishi Nakanogo-hashi Bridge to connect Sujikaibashi-dori Street (the Sujikai-bashi 1 Chome crossing) and Shidan-kaido Road (the Fukakusa-Nishiijiki-cho crossing). Today it belongs to Oiwa-kaido Road (Shiga Prefectural road and Otsu-Yodo-sen, Kyoto Fudo 35 Go (Kyoto Prefectural Road 35)).
Facilities along the Street
Fukakusa Campus, Ryukoku University
Kyoto Police