Kaidō
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with "kai-to" (Chinese: 街渡), which is a type of boat
A kaidō (Japanese 街道 "road") is an ancient road in Japan dating from the Edo period. Major examples include the five routes starting from Edo: Nakasendō, Tōkaidō, Ōshū Kaidō, Kōshū Kaidō and Nikkō Kaidō. Also Hokuriku Kaidō and Nagasaki Kaidō were "kaido". Many other lesser examples and branch roads are given on the Japanese Wikipedia.
It does not include Sanyōdō, Sanindō, 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 Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
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[edit] The Gokaido
The five main 'kaido' routes from Nihonbashi in Edo were:
- Tōkaidō (東海道) to Kyoto along the coastline
- Nakasendō (中山道) to Kyoto through the mountains
- Kōshū Kaidō (甲州街道) to Kofu
- Ōshū Kaidō (奥州街道) to Shirakawa and other places of northern Japan
- Nikkō Kaidō (日光街道) to Nikkō
[edit] Lodgings
At various times, governments established posts or stations along the roads. These had lodgings for travelers, and grew as commercial centers. The post towns, along with castle and harbor towns, form a major category of cities in Japan.
[edit] Kaidō in literature
The kaido figure prominently in Japanese culture. The poet Matsuo Bashō memorialized his travels along the Ōshū Kaidō (and elsewhere) in the book Oku no Hosomichi. A set of woodblock prints by Hiroshige forms a travelogue of the Tōkaidō. The Bunraku play Kanadehon Chushingura, the fictionalized account of the true story of the Forty-seven Ronin, has several scenes set along various kaido. Daimyo, making the required sankin kotai trip between their han and Edo, traveled along the kaido, staying at the stations. Woodblock prints show their stately processions.
