Kaidou (Highway) and Shukuba (Post town) 街道と宿場

  “Kaidou” is translated as a highway or a walking route. There were no cars in the Edo period, and there were almost no cars in the Meiji period too, so pedestrians and horses moved on the highway mainly. “Kai” is a city or town, and “dou” is a road, so “kai-dou” means not only a highway but also towns where people touched and treated travelers from other area.

Unno post town on the kaidou, 北国街道・海野宿

Ohuchi post village, 会津西街道・大内宿

　Kaidous were constructed from the 7^th century. Kaidous were systems which supported transportation and logistics, and they were rest area for travelers. From the 17^th century, Tokugawa shogunate developed the network of the kaidous very well, so people could travel across Japan easily.

  In the Japanese textbook for high school students, kaidous were explained as follows.
- Tokugawa shogunate developed the kaidou system. They managed the five major kaidous directly; their starting points were Edo(Tokyo).
  There were three big cities in Edo period, which were Edo, Osaka and Kyoto. Side kaidous or second tier kaidous connected local cities to big cities. The important kaidous were written on the map below.

Kaidou network in the Edo period, 五街道と脇往還

-Facilities on kaidous;
  Many shukubas or post towns/post stations were set on the kaidou. For example, 53 post towns were on Tokaidou which was a highway from Edo to Kyoto. The length of Tokaidou was about 480 km, so the post town was set every 10km approximately. In the post towns, there were officers who controlled the logistics and accommodation for samurais, because the main function of the kaidou and post towns was to provide logistic system and accommodation mainly for the officers of the shogunate and daimyo lords. It was also a rest area for travelers.

The gate of the inn for daimyo loads and noble class
 （下諏訪宿、本陣）

 

 Carriers and horses were summoned from the neighboring towns and villages, and supplied for the shogunate and daimyo lords with cheap price or free. There were inns for ordinary people too. People could send letters and money using the logistic system of kaidous.
 People needed to get the passport from their village head and so on in order to travel, so there were checkpoints on kaidous. Famous check point was Hakone check point which was on the Tokaidou and checked people and goods into Edo. Kaidous equipped milestones, bridges and ferries too.

Hakone checkpoint (https://www.hakone.or.jp/676) 

Reference:
- The history of travel of Japanese ordinary people (published in 1971) 1/2 庶民と旅の歴史 PartⅠ (Chapter 2) 
- Hirakata-shuku Kagiya Museum 市立枚方宿鍵屋資料館
- Shimo-Suwa History and Folklore Museum 下諏訪町立歴史民俗資料館
- Kusatsu Inn Headquarters (for daimyos) 草津宿本陣
- Hakone Sekisho check point & Hakone Sekisho Exhibition Hall 箱根関所と箱根関所資料館
- Kaidou highway (Road side exhibition)　日本橋 街道観光展2018

　街道や宿駅が設けられたのは、律令国家として国が治められていく7世紀ごろからであるが、きちんと整備されて庶民が旅をしやすくなったのは江戸時代からである。

　教科書には、「･･･江戸幕府によって、江戸・大坂・京都の三都を中心に各地の城下町をつなぐ全国的な街道の網の目が完成した。･･･これらの街道には宿駅が数多くおかれ、また一里塚や橋・渡船場・関所などの施設が整えられた。･･･　幕府や大名らの御用交通が最優先とされ、使用される人馬（人足と馬）は、無料あるいは一般の半額程度の賃銭で徴発された。これを伝馬役とよび、宿駅の町人・百姓や近隣の村々の百姓によって負担された。宿駅には問屋場がおかれ、問屋や年寄、帳付などの宿役人が伝馬役の差配や荷物の継ぎ送り（継飛脚）にあたった。宿駅の中心には大名らが利用する本陣・脇本陣、一般の旅行者のための旅籠屋などが設けられた。」と書かれている。（詳説日本史、山川出版、2008年）
　街道は、道そのものというより、文書、お金、物資を送るシステムであり、江戸時代に入ると、人々もそのシステムを使って旅を楽しむようになり、それに伴って宿や接待が発展していった。

Previous post (Glossary about local rulers in the Edo period) : 
Daimyo and han 大名と藩

Next post (Museum at the old post town) : 
Shimo-Suwa History and Folklore Museum 下諏訪町立歴史民俗資料館