Sankin kotai
Encyclopedia
was a policy of the shogunate during most of the Edo period
of Japanese history
. The purpose was to control the daimyo
. In adopting the policy, the shogunate was continuing and refining similar policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
. In 1635, a law required sankin kōtai, which was already an established custom. The law remained in force until 1862.
rule, but generally, the requirement was that the daimyo of every han
move periodically between Edo
and his han, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages. The expenditures necessary to maintain lavish residences in both places, and for the procession to and from Edo, placed financial strains on the daimyo making them unable to wage war. The frequent travel of the daimyos encouraged road building and the construction of inns and facilities along the routes, generating economic activity.
In principle, the sankin kotai was a military service to the shogun. Each daimyo was required to furnish a number of soldiers (samurai
) in accordance with the assessment of his han. These soldiers accompanied the daimyo on the processions to and from Edo.
With hundreds of daimyo entering or leaving Edo each year, were almost daily occurrences in the shogunal capital. The main routes to the provinces were the kaidō
. Special lodgings, the , were available to daimyo during their travels.
The sankin kotai figures prominently in some Edo period ukiyo-e
(woodblock prints), as well as in popular theater such as kabuki
and bunraku
.
instituted a similar practice upon the completion of his Palace at Versailles
, requiring the French nobility
, particularly the ancient Noblesse d'épée (nobility of the sword) to spend six months of each year at the palace, for reasons similar to those of the Japanese shoguns. The nobles were expected to assist the King in his daily duties and state and personal functions, including meals, parties, and, for the privileged, rising from and getting into bed
, bathing, and going to church.
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....
of Japanese history
History of Japan
The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
. The purpose was to control the daimyo
Daimyo
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...
. In adopting the policy, the shogunate was continuing and refining similar policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
. In 1635, a law required sankin kōtai, which was already an established custom. The law remained in force until 1862.
Description
The details changed throughout the twenty-six decades of TokugawaTokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
rule, but generally, the requirement was that the daimyo of every han
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
move periodically between Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
and his han, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages. The expenditures necessary to maintain lavish residences in both places, and for the procession to and from Edo, placed financial strains on the daimyo making them unable to wage war. The frequent travel of the daimyos encouraged road building and the construction of inns and facilities along the routes, generating economic activity.
In principle, the sankin kotai was a military service to the shogun. Each daimyo was required to furnish a number of soldiers (samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
) in accordance with the assessment of his han. These soldiers accompanied the daimyo on the processions to and from Edo.
With hundreds of daimyo entering or leaving Edo each year, were almost daily occurrences in the shogunal capital. The main routes to the provinces were the kaidō
Kaido
were ancient roads in Japan dating from the Edo period. Major examples include the Edo Five Routes, all of which started at Edo...
. Special lodgings, the , were available to daimyo during their travels.
The sankin kotai figures prominently in some Edo period ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
(woodblock prints), as well as in popular theater such as kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
and bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
.
Similar practices
King Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
instituted a similar practice upon the completion of his Palace at Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
, requiring the French nobility
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
, particularly the ancient Noblesse d'épée (nobility of the sword) to spend six months of each year at the palace, for reasons similar to those of the Japanese shoguns. The nobles were expected to assist the King in his daily duties and state and personal functions, including meals, parties, and, for the privileged, rising from and getting into bed
Levée (ceremony)
Lever , adopted in English as levée—initially the simple act of getting up in the morning—has traditionally been a daily moment of intimacy and accessibility to a monarch or leader...
, bathing, and going to church.