一いち里り塚づか

noun

milestone (1 ri apart); wayside marker

Historical distance marker placed every 1 ri (about 3.9 km) along major roads in Edo-period Japan; often a mound with a tree. Now mostly a historical term, but sometimes used metaphorically for a milestone or turning point.

• 旧きゅう東とう海かい道どうには今いまでも一いち里り塚づかがいくつか残のこっている。

  Several milestones still remain along the old Tōkaidō road.