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Kaidō
were roads in Japan dating from the Edo period. They played important roles in transportation like the Appian Way of ancient Roman roads. Major examples include the Edo Five Routes, all of which started at Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Minor examples include sub-routes such as the Hokuriku Kaidō and the Nagasaki Kaidō. ''Kaidō'', however, do ''not'' include San'yōdō, San'indō, Nankaidō and Saikaidō, which were part of the even more ancient system of Yamato government called Gokishichidō. These names were used for administrative units, and the roads within these units. Many highways and railway lines in modern Japan follow the ancient routes and carry the same names. The early roads radiated from the capital at Nara or Kyoto. Later, Edo was the reference, and even today Japan reckons directions and measures distances along its highways from Nihonbashi in Chūō, Tokyo. Gokaidō The five main ''kaidō'' from Nihonbashi in Edo were: * Tōkaidō (東海道) to Kyoto al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edo Five Routes
The , sometimes translated as "Five Highways", were the five centrally administered routes, or ''kaidō'', that connected the ''de facto'' capital of Japan at Edo (now Tokyo) with the outer provinces during the Edo period (1603–1868). The most important of the routes was the Tōkaidō, which linked Edo and Kyoto. Tokugawa Ieyasu started the construction of these five routes to increase his control over the country in 1601, but it was Tokugawa Ietsuna, the 4th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate and Ieyasu's great-grandson, who declared them as major routes. Post stations were set up along the route for travelers to rest and buy supplies. The routes thrived due to the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'', that required the ''daimyō'' (regional rulers) to travel in alternate years along the routes to Edo. History The various roads that make up the Five Routes existed in some form before becoming an official set of routes. Tokugawa Ieyasu began work on the routes shortly after bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
