53 Stations of the Tōkaidō

For the ukiyo-e prints by Hiroshige, see The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō. For the video game by SunSoft, see Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi (video game).
The Tōkaidō in 1865.

The 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō (東海道五十三次 Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi) are the rest areas along the Tōkaidō, which was a coastal route that ran from Nihonbashi in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto.[1]

Stations of the Tōkaidō

There were originally 53 government post stations along the Tōkaidō, where travelers had to present traveling permits at each station if wanting to cross. All of the stations, in addition to the starting and ending locations (which are shared with the Nakasendō), are listed below in order. The stations are divided by their present-day prefecture and include the name of their present-day city/town/village/districts, with historic provinces listed below.

Tokyo

Nihonbashi's highway distance marker, from which modern highway distances are measured
Odawara-juku in the 1830s, as depicted by Hiroshige in The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.
The countryside around Yui-shuku in the 1830s
Kanaya-juku bordering the Ōi River in the 1830s
Fujikawa-shuku in the 1830s
Ishiyakushi-juku in the 1830s
Seki-juku in the 1830s
Starting Location: Nihonbashi (Chūō-ku)
1. Shinagawa-juku (Shinagawa)

Kanagawa Prefecture

2. Kawasaki-juku (Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki)
3. Kanagawa-juku (Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama)
4. Hodogaya-juku (Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama)
5. Totsuka-juku (Totsuka-ku, Yokohama)
6. Fujisawa-shuku (Fujisawa)
7. Hiratsuka-juku (Hiratsuka)
8. Ōiso-juku (Ōiso, Naka District)
9. Odawara-juku (Odawara)
10. Hakone-juku (Hakone, Ashigarashimo District)

Shizuoka Prefecture

11. Mishima-shuku (Mishima)
12. Numazu-juku (Numazu)
13. Hara-juku (Numazu)
14. Yoshiwara-juku (Fuji)
15. Kanbara-juku (Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka)
16. Yui-shuku (Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka)
17. Okitsu-juku (Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka)
18. Ejiri-juku (Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka)
19. Fuchū-shuku (Aoi-ku, Shizuoka)
20. Mariko-juku (Suruga-ku, Shizuoka)
21. Okabe-juku (Fujieda)
22. Fujieda-juku (Fujieda)
23. Shimada-juku (Shimada)
24. Kanaya-juku (Shimada)
25. Nissaka-shuku (Kakegawa)
26. Kakegawa-juku (Kakegawa)
27. Fukuroi-juku (Fukuroi)
28. Mitsuke-juku (Iwata)
29. Hamamatsu-juku (Naka-ku, Hamamatsu)
30. Maisaka-juku (Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu)
31. Arai-juku (Kosai)
32. Shirasuka-juku (Kosai)

Aichi Prefecture

33. Futagawa-juku (Toyohashi)
34. Yoshida-juku (Toyohashi)
35. Goyu-shuku (Toyokawa)
36. Akasaka-juku (Toyokawa)
37. Fujikawa-shuku (Okazaki)
38. Okazaki-shuku (Okazaki) (also part of the Shio no Michi)
39. Chiryū-juku (Chiryū)
40. Narumi-juku (Midori-ku, Nagoya)
41. Miya-juku (Atsuta-ku, Nagoya)

Mie Prefecture

42. Kuwana-juku (Kuwana)
43. Yokkaichi-juku (Yokkaichi)
44. Ishiyakushi-juku (Suzuka)
45. Shōno-juku (Suzuka)
46. Kameyama-juku (Kameyama)
47. Seki-juku (Kameyama)
48. Sakashita-juku (Kameyama)

Shiga Prefecture

49. Tsuchiyama-juku (Kōka)
50. Minakuchi-juku (Kōka)
51. Ishibe-juku (Konan)
52. Kusatsu-juku (Kusatsu) (also part of the Nakasendō)
53. Ōtsu-juku (Ōtsu) (also part of the Nakasendō)

Kyoto Prefecture

Ending Location: Sanjō Ōhashi (Kyoto)

Ōsaka Kaidō

In 1619, the Ōsaka Kaidō (大阪街道) was developed to extend the Tōkaidō so that it would reach Kōraibashi in modern-day Osaka. Instead of going to Sanjō Ōhashi, travelers would leave from Ōtsu-juku and travel towards Fushimi-juku. Because of the addition of these four post towns, the Tōkaidō is occasionally referred to as having 57 stations. Another name for this extension was Kyōkaidō (京街道).

Kyoto Prefecture

A boat going down the Yodo River towards Kōraibashi.
54. Fushimi-juku (Fushimi-ku, Kyoto)
55. Yodo-juku (Fushimi-ku, Kyoto)

Osaka Prefecture

56. Hirakata-juku (Hirakata)
57. Moriguchi-juku (Moriguchi)
Ending location: Kōraibashi (Chūō-ku, Osaka)

By historical provinces

During the Edo period, when the Tōkaidō was established, it ran through the following ten historical provinces of Japan.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Louis Frédéric; Käthe Roth (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 973. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5..

References