What is "nakatsugawa-juku"

was the forty-fifth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the present-day city of Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, Nakatsugawa-juku reached a population of over 1,230 people and contained over 175 homes. There are many historical artifacts remaining today, including a stone monument with a haiku written by Matsuo Bashō.