Nikko Kaido
Encyclopedia
The was one of the five routes
of the Edo period
and it was built to connect Edo
(modern-day Tokyo
) with the Nikkō Tōshō-gū
, which is located in the present-day city of Nikkō
, Tochigi Prefecture
, Japan
. It was established in 1617 by Tokugawa Ieyasu
, in order for him to have a smoother route to the shrine. With only twenty-one stations, the Nikkō Kaidō was the shortest of the five routes, but it shares seventeen stations with the Ōshū Kaidō
. Part of its route can be traced with Japan's Route 4
.
Edo Five Routes
The were the five major roads that started at Edo during the Edo period, the most important of which was the Tōkaidō, which linked Edo and Kyoto...
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....
and it was built to connect 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...
(modern-day Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; 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...
) with the Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Nikko Tosho-gu
is a Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the "Shrines and Temples of Nikkō", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Tōshō-gū is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Initially built in 1617, during the Edo period, while Ieyasu's son Hidetada...
, which is located in the present-day city of Nikkō
Nikko, Tochigi
is a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...
, Tochigi Prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was established in 1617 by Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, in order for him to have a smoother route to the shrine. With only twenty-one stations, the Nikkō Kaidō was the shortest of the five routes, but it shares seventeen stations with the Ōshū Kaidō
Oshu Kaido
The was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Mutsu Province and the present-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan...
. Part of its route can be traced with Japan's Route 4
Route 4 (Japan)
National Route 4 is a major highway in eastern Honshū, Japan. The longest of the ordinary highways in Japan, it originates in Chūō, Tokyo and stretches north for 743.6 km to the city of Aomori in Aomori Prefecture. From Saitama Prefecture to Iwate Prefecture, it parallels the Tōhoku...
.
Stations of the Nikkō Kaidō
The 21 stations of the Nikkō Kaidō are listed below in order and are divided by their modern-day prefecture. The present day municipality is listed afterwards in parentheses.Tokyo
- Starting Location: NihonbashiNihonbashi, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
(日本橋) (Chūō-kuChuo, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
) - 1. Senju-shuku (千住宿) (Adachi-kuAdachi, Tokyois one of the Special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is located north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of the Arakawa River...
) (also part of 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...
)
Saitama Prefecture
- 2. Sōka-shuku (草加宿) (SōkaSoka, Saitamais a city located in Saitama, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 243,111 and the density of 8,866.19 persons per km²...
) - 3. Koshigaya-shuku (越ヶ谷宿) (KoshigayaKoshigaya, Saitamais a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 325,074 and a population density of 5,390 persons per km². The total area is 60.31 km²....
) - 4. Kasukabe-shuku (粕壁宿) (KasukabeKasukabe, Saitamais a city in eastern Saitama, Japan, approximately north of Tokyo. It was formerly located in Kitakatsushika and Minamisaitama districts. Kasukabe once prospered as part of the Nikkō Kaidō highway, an important trade route that linked Edo with Nikkō.-Overview:...
) - 5. Sugito-shuku (杉戸宿) (SugitoSugito, Saitamais a town located in Kitakatsushika District, Saitama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 46,856 and a density of 1,561.87 persons per km². The total area is 30.00 km².Sugito town is 45 minutes north of Tokyo by train...
, Kitakatsushika DistrictKitakatsushika District, Saitamais a district located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the district has an estimated population of 77,583 and a population density of 1,680 persons per km²...
) - 6. Satte-shuku (幸手宿) (SatteSatte, Saitamais a city located in Saitama, Japan.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 54,444, with a household number of 21,449 and the density of 1,603.658 persons per km². The total area is 33.95 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1986....
) - 7. Kurihashi-shuku (栗橋宿) (KukiKuki, Saitamais a city located in Saitama, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 156,613, with a household number of 61,071, and the density of 1,900.64 persons per km²...
)
Tochigi Prefecture
- 10. Nogi-shuku (野木宿) (NogiNogi, Tochigiis a town located in Shimotsuga District, Tochigi, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,309 and a density of 869.72 persons per km². The total area is 30.25 km².-External links:*...
, Shimotsuga DistrictShimotsuga District, Tochigiis a district located in Tochigi, Japan.As of 2011, the district has an estimated population of 83,304 and a density of 603 persons per km². The total area is 138.07 km².-Merger:...
) - 11. Mamada-shuku (間々田宿) (OyamaOyama, Tochigiis a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.As April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 163,954, with 62,714 households, and a population density of 955.39 persons per km²...
) - 12. Oyama-shuku (小山宿) (Oyama)
- 13. Shinden-shuku (新田宿) (Oyama)
- 14. Koganei-shuku (小金井宿) (ShimotsukeShimotsuke, Tochigiis a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.It was established on January 10, 2006, by the merger of the towns of Minamikawachi of Kawachi District and Kokubunji and Ishibashi, all from Shimotsuga District....
) - 15. Ishibashi-shuku (石橋宿) (Shimotsuke)
- 16. Suzumenomiya-shuku (雀宮宿) (UtsunomiyaUtsunomiya, Tochigiis the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. In October 2010 the city had an estimated population of 510,416 and a population density of 1,224.49 people per square kilometer. The total area is 416.84 km². had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census...
) - 17. Utsunomiya-shuku (宇都宮宿) (Utsunomiya)
- 18. Tokujirō-shuku (徳次郎宿) (Utsunomiya)
- 19. Ōzawa-shuku (大沢宿) (NikkōNikko, Tochigiis a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...
) - 20. Imaichi-shuku (今市宿) (Nikkō) (also part of the Nikkō Reiheishi KaidōNikko Reiheishi KaidoThe was established during the Edo period as a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō. It connects the Nakasendō with the Nikkō Kaidō.-Stations of the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō:...
) - 21. Hatsuishi-shuku (鉢石宿) (Nikkō)
- Ending Location: Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮) (Nikkō)
See also
- Edo Five RoutesEdo Five RoutesThe were the five major roads that started at Edo during the Edo period, the most important of which was the Tōkaidō, which linked Edo and Kyoto...
- TōkaidōTokaido (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....
(or 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō53 Stations of the TokaidoThe are the rest areas along the Tōkaidō, which was a coastal route that ran from Nihonbashi in Edo to Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto.-Stations of the Tōkaidō:...
) - NakasendōNakasendoThe , 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...
(or 69 Stations of the Nakasendō69 Stations of the NakasendoThe are the rest areas along the Nakasendō, which ran from Nihonbashi in Edo to Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto. The route stretched approximately and was an alternate trade route to the Tōkaidō.-Stations of the Nakasendō:...
) - Kōshū KaidōKoshu KaidoThe 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...
- Ōshū KaidōOshu KaidoThe was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Mutsu Province and the present-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan...
- Tōkaidō
- Other Routes
- Nikkō Onari KaidōNikko Onari Kaidowas established during the Edo period as a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō. It was built for the shogun to use as he traveled to Nikkō Tōshō-gū. It is also referred to as the Nikkō Onarimichi and the Iwatsuki Kaidō.-Stations of the Nikkō Onari Kaidō:...
- Nikkō Reiheishi KaidōNikko Reiheishi KaidoThe was established during the Edo period as a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō. It connects the Nakasendō with the Nikkō Kaidō.-Stations of the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō:...
- Nikkō WakiōkanNikko Wakiokanwas established during the Edo period as a subroute to connect Hachiōji with Nikkō. The route stretches approximately and, at various points, is called the Nikkōdō...
- Nikkō Onari Kaidō