Who Are the The Head River Porter / The Young River Porter / The River Porters of the Oi (Oi River porters)?
The men who carried travelers over the bridgeless Oi
Kawagoshi Ninsoku
The river porters of the Oi, called kawagoshi ninsoku in Japanese, were the workers who carried travelers across the bridgeless Oi River in the Edo period, either on their shoulders or on a rendai, a platform for carrying people. They were river-crossing specialists who knew every detail of its speed and depth.
In Tokaidochu Hizakurige (Shank's Mare), Yaji disguises himself as a samurai and Kita as his retainer to save on the crossing fee, and they ask to be treated accordingly. Their haughty act works for a while, but they are exposed when, among other things, the sword is found to be a fake. The porters talk back without holding anything in, and the two are thoroughly humiliated.
The crossing fee changed depending on how deep the river was. The Oi was such a notorious obstacle that, according to tradition, people sang that you could cross the eight ri of Hakone on horseback, but the Oi River you simply could not cross. One theory holds that it was left without a bridge in order to protect Edo.
