When I explored Hosoo Pass 細尾峠 in early June this year, I learned about how the mountain pass was a pivotal connection point of the mountain villages of southwest Toyama to the urban areas of the north. One important part of this history was the postal service.
Until 1970, especially in the winter, because of the large amounts of winter mountain snow, mail was still carried by hand. Carriers of Johana Town would bring the mail to the Hosoo Postal Exchange where they would meet carriers from Taira Village. Both teams left at 9am and met around 1pm. They would exchange their packages and letters. Then, they'd go back down the mountain to their post offices. These folks were known as the Postal Corps 郵送隊.
The Hosoo Pass Postal Exchange Office 細尾峠郵便交換所 was one of the places I visited when I explored Hosoo Pass. I went there on June 3rd. It turns out that just a days prior on May 31st, they held a dedication ceremony for the creation of a monument devoted to the Taira Postal Corps in Taira Village.
The monument details the history of the Postal Corps and includes 3 photos taken in the 1960s. There are a few individual credits on the back of the monument. The 郵送隊之碑 calligraphy was done by Fumio Yamamoto 山本文雄. And the 3 photos were taken by Toshio Takada 高田 俊夫, Shinobu Soga 曽我忍, and Tsutomu Takada 高田勉.
The May 31st ceremoney was held by the mayor, the chairs of the commeration committee, and Shinobu Soga, one of the men who took a photo of the Postal Corps. The Yomiuri Newspaper wrote an article about it. In the article, it mentions how Soga was a location scout for a film studio in Kyoto and came to Gokayama looking for locations. He learned of the Postal Corps and wanted to travel with them and learn more.
In the end, he could get some amazing unique photos of the team. Of the three photos on the monument, I think this one was his.
One of the other photos shows the Hosoo Pass Postal Exchange Office in the 60s in winter. Having been there a few weeks prior, they apparently made an addition to the building sometime in the 60s. The plaque in the Postal Exchange Office mentioned that mail increased significantly in the 60s because of economic reform. The Postal Corps chain would somtimes include up to 30 members. So, I suppose they needed the extra space for the package exchange.
Here's a transcription and translation of the plaque at the Postal Exchange office in the woods in the mountain.
The plaque on the monument gives a brief history of the Postal Corps. Here's a transcription and translation of the contents:
かって、冬期間積雪により交通機関が断され 陸の孤島と化していた越中五箇山の人々に 文化の火をもたらす役割を果たたのが 郵便遞送隊(通称 郵送隊)でした。 当時、平・城端両郵便局では請負人を雇用隊を編成して標高七四〇mの細尾峠近くに設けられた郵便交換所まで背負って運び渡していました。
The Postal Transport Corps (commonly known as the Postal Corps) played a role in bringing a firey culture to the people of Etchu Gokayama, who were once isolated village islands in the winter when transportation was cut off due to snowfall. At that time, the Taira and Johana Post Offices organized contractors into teams to carry mail on their backs to the postal exchange office located near Hosoo Pass, 740 meters above sea level.
明治十五年下梨郵便局(現平局)開設されて以来、城端局と片道約二〇kmの峠山道を徒歩で往復していました。昭和十年長い間続いた直送を廃し、両局の中程に位置する細尾峠で郵袋を交換する方法なりました。その後、バスの開通に伴い通常期はバス託送に改め、昭和三十年から請負による交換便は冬期に限られることになりました。深雪・吹雪の中隊員苦労は想像を絶するものでした。
Since Shimonashi Post Office (now Taira Post Office) was opened in 1882, mail was sent back and forth between Johana Post Office on foot along the mountain pass, about 20km one-way**. In 1935, the long-running direct delivery system was discontinued, as the method of mail exchange was changed to bus delivery at Hosoo Pass, located between the two offices. After that, the normal period was changed to bus delivery, and from 1955, the contracted exchange service was limited to winter. The hardships faced by the members of the Postal Corps in the deep snow and blizzards were unimaginable.
(**note: The monument says one-way, but it's only 10 km one-way. It's 20 km round trip.)
時代と共に、請負人の雇用難・雪崩危険等に鑑み、昭和四十五年八十八年間に渡る郵送隊のの歴史を閉じました。その後冬期は庄川の船便等を利用する輸送となり昭和五十九年,国道三〇四号線に五箇山トンネルが開通したことにより、専用自動車便が通年運行され、現在に至っています。
As times changed, the Postal Corps came to an end after 88 years of operation in 1970, due to the difficulty of finding contractors and the risk of avalanches. After that, transportation in the winter was changed to ship services on the Shogawa River. In 1984, the Gokayama Tunnel was opened on National Route 304, and dedicated automobile services began to operate year-round, which continues to this day.
郵送隊の大きな功績は
The Great Achievements of the Postal Corps
・厳冬の雪深い峠道を人力で郵便物(生活必需品)を運び地域住民の暮らしを支えた。
- They carried mail (a daily necessity) by hand through snowy mountain passes in the harsh winter, supporting the lives of local residents.
・隊員の大半は主婦で女性の忍耐と献身性が特筆される。
- Most of the members were housewives, and the perserverance and dedication of women is particulary noteworthy.
・郵便局では 地域への奉仕・貢献の原点として語り継がれている。
- At the post office, it is passed down as the origin of service and contribution to the community.
ここにその功績を称え 史実を後世に伝えるものです。
Here, we commemorate their achievements and pass on the historical facts to future generations.
令和七年五月 - May 2025
郵送隊を称える会 - The Postal Corps Commemoration Committee
The monument is a great way of commemorating such a unique service in the area. But, the monument is a little sad. They placed the monument at the location of the original Shimonashi Post Office from 50 years ago, but that building has moved since then. Now, there's only houses and an open field next to it.
The current Taira Post Office is just down the street.
Anyways, it's a pretty amazing coincidence that I started exploring and researching about this stuff at the same time this monument was created. Many of these remote rural areas of Japan have their own unique stories, and many of those stories have been immortalized on monuments.
