Thank you for always watching the SNS and videos of 'Tabinoito'! Recently, we touched on "Sankin-kotai" in a video we uploaded, and we received more feedback than expected.
With the familiar shout of "Down, down!" from period dramas, the lord gracefully rides in a palanquin as part of a daimyo procession. Many of you have probably seen this on television at least once, right? However, the actual sankin-kotai was not as leisurely as that. It was a harsh system where "hundreds of millions of yen would vanish in a day, and one would walk distances comparable to a full marathon every day," something that would make even modern black companies pale in comparison.
This time, I will guide you through the "realities of the daimyo procession" that are not found in textbooks, and how it connects to the history of Aizu (Ouchi-juku).
[Reality 1] "Hundreds of millions of yen" disappear in a single move!?
In 1635, the sankin-kotai system was institutionalized by Tokugawa's third shogun, Iemitsu. Its primary purpose was to "force each daimyo to spend vast amounts of money and diminish their military power (the ability to incite rebellion)."
The outrageous expenses of the Kaga Domain
For example, in the case of the Maeda family, famous for the "Kaga Hyakuman-goku," they would sometimes head to Edo with as many as 4,000 attendants. Not only samurai, but also the lord's personal physician, the tea ceremony master, falconers, and even those carrying a "dedicated bath kettle" accompanied them.
With such a large entourage, the daily accommodation and food costs amounted to about 30 million yen. Assuming it took about two weeks to travel from Kaga to Edo, the total expenses for a one-way trip reached a staggering 420 million yen.
Such expenses would likely bankrupt a modern company in an instant, but from the perspective of the Tokugawa shogunate, the strategy of "putting the daimyos into a state of financial distress" was a resounding success.
[Reality 2] Is the elegant march a lie? A "super forced march" of 40 km a day
Given the immense costs, the daimyos were desperate. They thought, "We want to arrive as soon as possible and save on accommodation costs!"
Therefore, in the mountains and along the highways, they completely abandoned the elegant march (forming a procession) and walked at a breakneck speed of about 40 kilometers (almost the same distance as a full marathon!) every day. Departing at 5 AM and carrying heavy loads, they would continue walking until 5 PM, making it a true forced march.
Common people's entertainment: "Daimyo Watching"
By the way, the shout of "Down, down!" (forcing people to prostrate) was only permitted for a select few, such as the Tokugawa Three Houses, and when ordinary daimyos passed, commoners simply had to step aside.
It is said that Edoites would buy a daimyo guidebook called "Bukan" at a bookstore in Nihonbashi and enjoy watching, thinking, "Oh, that spear shape belongs to the 〇〇 domain. What a country bumpkin!" as if it were a little event.
The "Oriental Parade" that astonished the Dutch
The scene of this sankin-kotai was witnessed and recorded by a physician of the Dutch trading post, Kempfer, who was heading from Dejima in Nagasaki to Edo.
When he passed by the procession of the Kishu domain, he thought a large group was coming from the front in the morning, but it turned out to be the "advance party." Next, he saw another large group, which was just a "cargo transport team." Finally, around noon, the luxurious "main unit (the lord)" passed by, and the last of the procession was not out of sight until evening.
Foreigners from Europe were reportedly astonished, saying, "Is there such a huge and organized parade in this small island nation of the East?"
The miraculous post town left by the Sankin-kotai: "Ouchi-juku"
Now, this harsh Sankin-kotai actually produced a "byproduct" that dramatically developed Japan's infrastructure and culture.
In order for the feudal lords to arrive safely and on time in Edo, roads and bridges across the country were improved, and the roadside "post towns" flourished with significant economic effects.
The first lord of our Aizu domain, Masayuki Hoshina, also improved the "Aizu Nishi Kaido" connecting Aizu and Nikko, and conducted Sankin-kotai along that route. One of the post towns that was developed at that time is the beautiful "Ouchi-juku," which still has rows of thatched-roof houses.
Why was only Ouchi-juku able to preserve the appearance of Edo?
This is because when new roads and railways were opened during the Meiji era, Ouchi-juku was left off those routes and was "left behind in modernization." Furthermore, the residents' strong determination to "not sell, not rent, and not destroy" helped preserve the landscape, miraculously maintaining its appearance from that time.
At "Tabinoito," we offer a tour in the 【Academic】 style where we talk about the origins of Ouchi-juku and the harsh realities of Sankin-kotai while you are on the move.
"Those lords must have desperately walked this road,"
Why not savor the famous negi soba while feeling the breath of history? Your perspective on period dramas might change just a little.
[Join an adult fieldwork that unravels the hidden history]
A journey that comfortably explores the real breath of history, different from period dramas, in a dedicated vehicle.
A dedicated guide will introduce you to the stories of Aizu that are not found in textbooks.
First, feel free to consult us via LINE.
