Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
system of barriers that had been in use since early times, thus using the roads themselves
as controls on movement along them. It was a serious offence to try to evade the check of
the officials at the barriers by taking to the fields in an attempt to bypass them, so that hav-
ing to go through these barriers, of which it is estimated that more than 70 existed, had the
double effect of forcing everyone to go along the roads provided, while being kept under
close supervision.
An important function of this control at the barriers was to prevent the
daimyō
from
moving any of his family out of Edo without permission; in particular the road-watchers
hadtomakesurethatnowomenmovedoutwiththeprocessions.Womenwhotraveledhad
tocarryaspecialcertificateofauthorizationwhichcarriedafulldescription,andtheyoften
underwentaconsiderableordealofsearchandinterrogationatthebarriers—andthehigher
the rank, the worse it might be. Another careful watch was kept to see that no arms, espe-
cially firearms, in sufficient quantities to be used in a revolt, were taken into Edo. Restric-
tions extended to the number of a
daimyō's
attendants: for example, under the eighth Sho-
gun (Yoshimune, 1716-45), it was laid down that
daimyō
rated at 200,000
koku
or more
were to have with them 120-30 foot soldiers and 250-300 servants and porters, while those
of 100,000
koku
or more could have 80 and 140-80 respectively. These numbers, when ac-
count is taken of the higher-grade
samurai
who were also accompanying their lord, were
big enough to make these processions a considerable drain on
daimyō
resources, but not
big enough for them to constitute a threat to the central government.
The highways were divided off into stages, at each of which was a post-station, whose
duty it was to have horses and porters available for the next stage (
17
). The whole system
was administered by an office of the government, by whom the charges for use of the ser-
vicewerefixed.Certaingovernmentofficialsweregivenpasseswhichentitledthemtoone
horse and three men free of charge.
Daimyō
on an official journey were charged a special
low rate up to a certain maximum, over which they had to pay standard charges. They also
gavenoticeoftheirplansbeforehand,sothatpost-stationsandinnscouldpreparewhatwas
necessary.Theresponsibility forprovidinghorsesandmenwasimposedonthelocalfarm-
ers, and this was just one of the ways in which they were parasitized by the
samurai.
The
daimyō
procession was an impressive sight, with its marching men, horses, and
lacquered palanquins, and was made more so by the banners, spears, and halberds in their
decorative coverings, and other colorful objects that were borne aloft by the attendants. It
formedacounterpartofthemilitaryparadeasweknowitintheWest,andservedtoremind
the populace of the places it passed through of the power and authority of their masters.
