The Five Routes of Edo Period Japan
- Tony Boccia
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hello PHG fans, we're back today with another Japan post. I recently watched a YouTube video from the fantastic NaruMasa Travel youtube channel. One of the many reasons I watch their travel videos (aside from the beautfiul photography) is that they typically look for historic sites that are easily accessible but not necessarily well-known. In a recent video, they explore Tsumago-Juko, the 42nd of 69 stops on the Nakasendo Road. This town, and neighboring Magome-Juko, have been preserved and renovated to match their appearance in the Edo Period, when they served as post stops, inns, toll stations, and shops on the Nakasendo, one of the Gokaido, or five routes of Japan.
To understand the importance of these roads, we need to look back to the era that preceded the Edo Period. The Sengoku (or, Warring States) Period ended with the rise of three great unifiers; Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu won the era-defining battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and three years later, the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in his new capital of Edo. With this, the unification of Japan was nearly complete, and the focus shifted from consolidating power, to maintaining the peace. The great center of Japanese political power in Osaka and Kyoto had long been connected by sea routes to the various towns and villages of Japan, however overland routes were less traveled and generally less secure from natural forces, and banditry. At the same time, maintining the peace meant keeping the various Daimyo, essentially provincial governors, politically and financially onside.
In order to meet these goals, the Tokugawa Shoguns established a series of roads. Stemming from the Nihonbashi Bridge, these five roads stretched north, south and west to connect Edo with the important cities and towns of the time. In order, these roads are the Tokaido (terminating in Kyoto), Nakasendo (Kyoto), Koshu-Kaido (Yamanashi), Oshu-Kaido (Fukushima), and Nikko-Kaido (Tochigi). Completed between 1624 and 1771, the roads intersected at some points, and lesser routes branched out where the Gokaido ended. Generally speaking, the Gokaido were safe, well-maintained, and easy to use. The Shogunate, in coordination with his various Daimyo, established post-towns along the routes where travelers could find lodging, food, and supplies.
With the rise of modern Japan in the Meiji Restoration, some of the Gokaido were modernised, while others fell out of use. The Tokaido famously turned into a major highway, Route 1, which stretches from Tokyo to Osaka via Nagoya and Kyoto. Much of the older sections of the roads were thus changed, although some of the sections can be explored in close to their original state, such as Tsumago-Juko and Magome-Juko of the Nakasendo. These are fantastic places to see the natural beauty of Japan, experience the warm hospitality of the Japanese countryside, and feel the weight of history that is prevalent throughout so much of the country.
Japan has had a drastic rise in tourism over the past few years, with people from around the world flocking to see the major sights such as Asakusa, Kyoto, and Hakone. Many of these places tend to get full quick, and in my opinion, the overall beauty of them decreases in turn. If you find yourself in Japan, it's worth it to get off the beaten path, away from the tourist areas and toward the places where Japanese culture and history has been preserved. Tsumago-Juko is such a place. Here's such a website to help you get started. I've added another link to the Pacific History Guide's Chubu Region page for Nagano Prefecture that should help as well. I hope you check it out next time you're heading off the beaten path!
Narumasa, 旅の体験を共有していただき、本当にありがとうございました。次の冒険も楽しみにしています！
Keep discovering!
Tony