In 1603 Tokugawa Iyeyasu became Shogun, for all practical
purposes, the ruler of Japan. On taking the post of Shogun, he made Edo
(present day Tokyo) the seat of his government. From Nihon-Bashi, the
great bridge over the Sumida River, just opposite the palace of the Shogun,
roads radiated throughout the principal island of the Japanese Empire, and from
this point all distances were measured.
The new constitution of Iyeyasu demanded an annual visit to Edo from all the Daimyo (Great Lords of feudal Japan); and twice a year, coming and going, the main roads were passed and re-passed by their processions, splendid in equipment and in strength according to their degree. In the old days, it is said that the cortege of the leading princes numbered as many as 20,000 men, who carried out the journey with almost regal ceremony.
For these visits, arrangements were made weeks in advance. The posting
houses had to be warned and provision made for the accommodation of the parties
that often exhausted local resources.
Of the five main highways radiating from Edo, the Tokaido was perhaps the chief. By this route came all the great nobles from the western provinces as well as the normal traffic between the two capitals of Kyoto and Edo.
When Iyeyasu became Shogun, he improved the existing trail. The new road was approximately 320 miles long, traversing the provinces bordering on the south coast of the island until, near Yokkaichi, it turned inland by way of Kameyaa and Otsu, passing the southern end of Lake Biwa, to Kyoto. Every four to seven miles he established a station where the traveller could obtain food, shelter, porters, horses or other necessities. These stations attracted merchants, inn keepers, and the like to settle nearby, and the stations developed into towns.
On
the trail there were 53 recognised stations, or stages, and these, with the starting
point at the Nihon-Bashi at Edo and the finish at Kyoto, make up the 55 stages
commonly found in the series of views of the Tokaido Road.
Download a screensaver of The 55 Stages of The Tokaido Road from the Screensavers page.