From the Nara period (710–794) onward, this was the shortest route between Osaka and Nara. It’s said that when Matsuo Basho came through the pass, the chrysanthemums were in full bloom. He penned a haiku, “A dark climb through the / perfume of chrysanthemums / season’s festival,” passed through to Osaka, and later that year died in Yodoyabashi. During the Edo period (1603–1868), the pass was developed as part of the pilgrim’s road to Ise shrine.