noun
roadside distance marker; chō stone
Historical stone markers placed along roads at intervals of one chō (about 109 meters). Often found on old highways and pilgrimage routes.
See also: 町
熊野古道には町石が今も残っている。
Chō stones still remain along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route.
この町石は江戸時代に置かれたものだ。
This distance marker was placed in the Edo period.
A mound or marker placed every ri (about 3.9 km), whereas 町石 marks every chō (about 109 m).
Compound of 町 (chō, a unit of distance) and 石 (ishi, stone). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but such markers were used from at least the Edo period.