Honjin
Encyclopedia
Shukuba
were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called shukueki . These post stations were places where travelers could rest on their journey around the nation...
) during the later part of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Evolution of Honjin
Originally, honjin were places from which generals directed battles and, therefore, were fleeting in nature. However, as commanders began to transform the honjin into temporary lodgings during battle and travel, honjin came to be places where daimyōDaimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
and other representatives of the shogunate, including hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
, monzeki
Monzeki
Monzeki were Japanese Buddhist priests of aristocratic or imperial lineage. The term was also applied to the temples in which they lived....
, etc., were allowed to stay during their travels. Many of the honjin were actually personal residences of village and town leaders. As such, they received official designations from the government and expanded their residences to include walls, gates and other features. Because of their cooperation, the owners of the honjin also gained various special rights. General travelers, regardless of status or money, were not able to stay at honjin.
Waki-honjin
Waki-honjin (脇本陣), also referred to as "sub-honjin," are similar in structure and operation to, but generally smaller than, honjin. The rules of operation were also are slightly different. When two official traveling parties are staying in the same post station, the more powerful of the two stayed in the main honjin. The major difference, though, is that general travelers were able to stay at the waki-honjin, if they had enough status or money.Honjin Open to the Public
The honjin or waki-honjin of the following post stations have either been preserved or restored and are now open to be viewed by the public:Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
- Maisaka-jukuMaisaka-jukuwas the thirtieth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the western portion of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. During the Edo period, the area was part of Tōtōmi Province. The kanji for the post station were originally written 舞坂 .-History:Maisaka-juku was located on...
(HamamatsuHamamatsu, Shizuokais a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.- History :...
, Shizuoka PrefectureShizuoka Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
) (waki-honjin) - Futagawa-jukuFutagawa-jukuwas the thirty-third of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in what is now the city of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was the eastern most post station in Mikawa Province.-History:...
(ToyohashiToyohashi, Aichiis a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on August 1, 1906. As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 383,691 and a density of 1,468.62 persons per km². The total area is . By size, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31,...
, Aichi PrefectureAichi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
) - Kusatsu-jukuKusatsu-jukuwas the fifty-second of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō as well as the sixty-eighth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. It is located in the downtown area of the present-day city of Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.-History:...
(KusatsuKusatsu, Shigais a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on October 15, 1954, and as of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 123,690 and the density of 1,820 persons per km². The total area is 67.92 km².- Overview :...
, Shiga PrefectureShiga Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
) (also part of the Nakasendō)
Nakasendō
Nakasendo
The , also called the , was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo to Kyoto in Japan. There were 69 stations between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces...
- Okegawa-juku (OkegawaOkegawa, Saitamais a city located in Saitama, Japan. It was founded on November 3, 1970, and as of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 73,881 and the density of 2,924.82 persons per km²...
, Saitama PrefectureSaitama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
) (only open during certain times) - Wada-shukuWada-shukuwas the twenty-eighth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō. Its present-day location is in the Wada section of the town of Nagawa, in the Chiisagata District of Nagano Prefecture, Japan.-History:...
(NagawaNagawa, Naganois a town located in Chiisagata District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The town was founded on October 1, 2005 when the town of Nagato and the village of Wada from Chiisagata District merged....
, Nagano PrefectureNagano Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
) - Shimosuwa-juku (ShimosuwaShimosuwa, Naganois a town located in Suwa District, Nagano, Japan. It is located on Lake Suwa, a large, natural lake surrounded by mountains.As of 2006, the town has an estimated population of 22,421. The total area is 66.90 km²....
, Nagano Prefecture) (also part of the Kōshū Kaidō) - Ōta-jukuOta-jukuwas the fifty-first of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō during the Edo period. It is located in Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was located on one of the more difficult parts of the Nakasendō, but relics from its days as a post town still remain today...
(MinokamoMinokamo, Gifuis a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and was formed on April 1, 1954.As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 54,944. The total area is 74.81 km².-Rail:*JR Central:**Takayama Main Line: Mino-Ōta Station, Kobi Station...
, Gifu PrefectureGifu Prefectureis a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
) (waki-honjin)
Kōshū Kaidō
Koshu Kaido
The was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Nagano Prefecture...
- Hino-shuku (HinoHino, Tokyois a city located in central Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 182,092 and a population density of 6,610 persons per km². The total area was 27.53 km².-Geography:...
, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) - Ohara-shuku (SagamiharaSagamihara, Kanagawais a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
, Kanagawa PrefectureKanagawa Prefectureis a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
)
Other Routes
- MatsumaedōMatsumaedoThe was a subroute of the Ōshū Kaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes of the Japan. It connected the Sendaidō's terminus at Sendai Castle with the northern tip of modern-day Aomori Prefecture. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu for government officials traveling through the area...
's Arikabe-shuku (KuriharaKurihara, Miyagiis a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 77,012 and a population density of 95.7 persons per km². The total area is 804.93 km². Previously a district consisting of nine towns and one village, on April 1, 2005, the towns and village...
, Miyagi PrefectureMiyagi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
) - Mito KaidōMito Kaidowas an old kaidō in Japan and a subroute to the Edo Five Routes. It was built to connect Edo with Mito in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Travelers from Edo called it Mito Kaidō, but travelers from Mito called it Edo Kaidō. The kaidō's path is traced by the modern National Route 6.-Tokyo:-Chiba...
's Toride-shuku (IbarakiToride, Ibarakiis a city located in Ibaraki, Japan.As of March 1, 2008 , the city has an estimated population of 109,926 and the density of 1,570 persons per km². The total area is 69.96 km²....
, Ibaraki PrefectureIbaraki Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
) - Saigoku Kaidō's Kōriyama-shuku (IbarakiIbaraki, Osakais a city located in Osaka, Japan. It is a suburban city of Osaka city and a part of Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. Literally Ibaraki in English means Wild Trees or Thorny trees....
, Osaka PrefectureOsaka Prefectureis a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
) - San'yōdōSan'yodois a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The San'yōdō corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'yō region,San'yō translates to "the sunlight-side of a mountain", while dō, depending on the context, can mean...
's Yakage-shuku (YakageYakage, Okayamais a town located in Oda District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 15,864 and a density of 175.06 persons per km². The total area is 90.62 km²....
, Okayama PrefectureOkayama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
) (honjin and waki-honjin) - Yamato Kaidō's Nate-shuku (KinokawaKinokawa, Wakayamais a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 67,835 with 25,607 households and a population density of 297.21 persons per km²...
, Wakayama PrefectureWakayama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
)
See also
- ToiyabaTonya (Japan), called toiya outside of Edo, were trade brokers in Japan, primarily wholesalers, warehouse managers, and shipment managers; the term applies equally to the traders themselves and to their shops or warehouses...
- HatagoHatagowere Edo period lodgings for travelers at shukuba along the national highways, including the Edo Five Routes and the subroutes. In addition to a place to rest, hatago also offered meals and other foods to the travelers...
- Kichinyado
- ChayaChayaCnidoscolus aconitifolius, commonly known as Chaya or Tree Spinach, is a large, fast growing leafy perennial shrub that is believed to have originated in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. The specific epithet, "aconitifolius", refers to its Aconitum-like leaves. It has succulent stems which exude a...
- Kōsatsu