Samurai Postal Routes: The Nakasendo, Tsumago & Magome

In our last blog post we talked about the Gokaido, the five routes built in the Edo period of Japan, which connected the capital of Edo, modern Tokyo, with the outer provinces of the country. We also talked about the Tokaido, one of the two routes connecting the old capital of Kyoto with the new capital of Tokyo. The Tokaido was popular among poets and artists, and was the quickest way between the two cities, but also more dangerous because you needed to cross a number of rivers. What was an Edo period samurai to do, when he was worried about the safety of his family? This is where the Nakasendo comes in.

The Tokaido in 1825

Source: Wikimedia Commons

With a distance of approximately 534km, the Nakasendo ran the length of Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo, passing though the modern day prefectures of Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu and Shiga. The Nakasendo was an inland route, unlike the Tokaido, which followed the coast. Even though the Nakasendo is longer, many travellers preferred travelling the Nakasendo, as it didn’t involve any fording of rivers, thus making it a safer journey.

Samurai Postal Routes: Gokaido and Tokaido

In 1601, soon after he came into power, the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu started to build five routes connecting the capital of Edo (modern day Tokyo), with the other provinces. These routes were essential for the success of the Sankin-Kotai system, where lords would have to alternate years of living in Edo with their home provinces. There were five routes, including the Koshu Kaido, the Oshu Kaido, the Nikko Kaido, and the most important routes, the Tokaido and Nakasendo, which we’ll explore in more detail.

Even though all the five routes varied in length, they shared some common features. First of all, they all started from Nihonbashi in Edo, after which there were markers at every ri (2.44 miles or 3.93 kilometres) travelled from Nihonbashi. The government ensured the highways were well maintained, and we often flattened and widened as necessary. In steeper sections of the path, the government would pave the road, though they often used ferries to cross rivers rather than build bridges. The government also planted trees along the route to make sure the travellers could travel in the shade, and be protected from the elements.

Gokaido Starting Point in Nihonbashi Tokyo.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Autumn in Japan

After the heat of the summer months, autumn offers a welcome respite to the Japanese. There are a few popular axioms, shokuyoku no aki, dokusho no aki and finally supotsu no aki. They basically mean autumn is for eating, reading and exercise respectively.

Autumn leaves at Nanzen-ji Kyoto.
Source: https://flic.kr/p/dyVJ1W

Why would you go to Japan in autumn? There’s a laundry list of reasons, and like spring and its cherry blossoms, one of the main reasons involves trees, beautiful nature and stunning colours.

Japan Discovered: The Ultimate Introduction to Japan

     We run a small group tour called Japan Discovered, and it really is a great way to discover what Japan is all about. You will experience everything you could hope to experience on this tour: from the neon lights of the big city, to the serenity of the mountainous countryside, to the peaceful sense of harmony at the temples and shires of this amazing, ancient culture.

A theatrical workout for the senses

Take kabuki and remove from it the gorgeously colourful costumes, entrancing music and fantastical stories and what you are left with, in its bare essence, is a living, breathing traditional art form.

Any visitor to Japan that goes to watch a kabuki show is blown away with how dramatic it is. Perhaps this is because this genre of theatre fulfils all the fantasies that non-Japanese people have about historical Japan. Even if this is not the case, nobody can deny that it is beauty in motion.

The individual kanji (Chinese characters) that make up kabuki mean sing, dance and skill. Little wonder that all kabuki actors start their training at the age of around five with nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance) lessons. This is also due to the fact that the origins of kabuki can be traced back to the early years of the Edo Period (1603-1867) to a shrine maiden in Kyoto called Okuni, who excelled at Buddhist folk dances. In the beginning women took most of the roles but they were soon forbidden on the grounds that their participation corrupted the public (i.e. male) morals. From then on only men were allowed to play the roles, even those of women.

Actors normally specialize in playing either male or female roles. It is surprising to even the Japanese that men playing women, known as onnagata actors, can sometimes appear even more feminine than actual women. But playing a woman is not for the faint-hearted. Dressing up as say a princess can be quite the workout, as costumes can wear around 20 kilograms.

You will be glad to know that watching kabuki is not so tiring – though there is a strong chance that it will get your heart racing! Kabuki performances are held in Tokyo during August and September 2012, and in Kyoto during September 2012. Unique Japan Tours is happy to arrange buying tickets to a performance of kabuki, so please let us know if you would like to go.

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