This was recognized from at least as early as the Nara period and there are indications that the Hakone Shrine was built in part to control the narrowest portion of this route.

In the Heian period, Taira no Masakado dispatched troops to this location in anticipation of an invasion of government forces into the Kantō region during his revolt.

[2] After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Hakone Pass was regarded as of key strategic importance in the outer defenses of Edo Castle.

The shogunate built a new shukuba named Hakone-juku and relocated the site of the Hakone Barrier to the shore of Lake Ashi.

Out of the staff of 20 people manning the barrier, several were women who performed a physical examination female travelers to ensure that no woman of rank was attempting the leave the capital without permission.