Tōkaidō (road)

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For other uses, see Tōkaidō (disambiguation)

The Tōkaidō (東海道, Eastern Ocean Road^?) was the most important of the Five Routes of the Tokugawa era, connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the east coast of Honshū, hence its name, which means "East Sea Road."

Contents 1 Traveling the Tōkaidō 2 Modern-day Tōkaidō 3 Stations of the Tōkaidō 4 Ōsaka Kaidō 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Traveling the Tōkaidō

Travel, particularly along the Tōkaidō, was a very popular topic in art and literature at the time. The famous artist Hiroshige depicted each of the 53 post stations (shukuba) of the Tōkaidō in his work The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, and the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō travelled along the road. A great many guidebooks of famous places were published and distributed at this time, and a culture of virtual tourism through books and pictures thrived. Jippensha Ikku's Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, translated as "The Shank's Mare", is one of the more famous novels about a journey along the Tōkaidō.

The standard method of travel was by kago, as wheeled carts were almost non-existent and heavy cargo was usually sent by boat. Also, women were forbidden to travel alone and had to be accompanied by men. While severe penalties existed for various travel regulations, most seemed not to be enforced.

[edit] Modern-day Tōkaidō

Today, the Tōkaidō corridor is the most heavily travelled transportation corridor in Japan, connecting Greater Tokyo (including the capital Tokyo as well as Japan's second largest city Yokohama) to Nagoya (fourth largest), and then to Osaka (third largest) via Kyoto. The Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka route is followed by the Tōkaidō Main Line (railway line) and the Tomei and Meishin Expressways, as well as the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

[edit] Stations of the Tōkaidō

Please refer to 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō for a full listing of all the post stations, including those on the extended Tōkaidō.

There were government post stations along the Tōkaidō, where travelers had to present traveling permits to pass. The original Tōkaidō was made up of 53 stations between the termination points of Edo and Kyoto. These stations consisted of porter stations and horse stables, as well as lodging, food and other places a traveller may visit.

[edit] Ōsaka Kaidō

In 1619, the Ōsaka Kaidō (大阪街道) was established, adding four more stations after Ōtsu-juku. These additions extended the route to Kōraibashi in Osaka. This extension was also called the Kyōkaido (京街道), or was described as being a part of the 57 stations of the Tōkaidō.

[edit] References

• Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-4153-1091-1

[edit] See also

• Japan's National Route 1
• Tōkaidō Main Line
• Tōkaidō Shinkansen
• Namamugi Incident
• Edo Five Routes
  • Nakasendō (or 69 Stations of the Nakasendō)
  • Kōshū Kaidō
  • Ōshū Kaidō
  • Nikkō Kaidō
• Other Routes
  • Hokkoku Kaidō
  • Kisoji
  • Mikuni Kaidō

[edit] External links

• Walking the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō
• Walk the Tōkaidō - an interactive tour down the road.
• Travel Tōkaidō - from U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
• The Old Tōkaidō: The Eastern Sea Road - Teacher James Baquet's log of a walk along the entire Tōkaidō, with photos and comparisons to Hiroshige's prints.
• The Fifty Three Stations of the Tokaido Road - by Ando Hiroshige

• Arranged by station
• Tōkaidō mapde:Tōkaidō

et:Tōkaidō el:Τοκάιντο (δρόμος) fr:Tōkaidō ko:도카이도 ja:東海道 pt:Tokaido zh:東海道