Thank you for always watching our 'Tabinoito' SNS and videos! Recently, we touched on 'sankin-kotai' in a video we uploaded, and we received more feedback than expected.
The elegant procession of feudal lords riding in palanquins, accompanied by the familiar shout from period dramas, 'Down, down!' is something you may have seen on TV or elsewhere, right? However, the actual 'sankin-kotai' was not so leisurely. 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,' a reality that would make modern black companies pale in comparison.
This time, we 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 (Ouchijuku).
[Reality 1] "Hundreds of millions of yen" disappear in a single move!?
In 1635, the system of Sankin-kotai was institutionalized by Tokugawa's third shogun, Iemitsu. Its main purpose was to "force each daimyo to spend enormous amounts of money and weaken 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 Hyakumangoku," they often traveled to Edo with as many as about 4,000 attendants. Not only samurai but also the lord's personal physician, the head of the tea ceremony, falconers, and even those who carried a "dedicated bath kettle" accompanied them.
With such a large entourage, the daily accommodation and food expenses amounted to approximately 30 million yen. Assuming it took about two weeks to travel from Kaga to Edo, the total cost for a one-way trip was an astonishing 420 million yen.
Such expenses would likely lead to bankruptcy for a modern company, but for the Tokugawa shogunate, the strategy of "making the daimyo financially strapped" was a great success.
[Reality 2] Is the elegant procession a lie? A "super forced march" of 40 km a day.
With such high costs, the daimyo 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 did not perform that elegant procession (forming a line) at all, and instead walked at a breakneck speed of about 40 kilometers (almost the same distance as a full marathon!) every day. Departing at 5 AM and continuing to walk until 5 PM with heavy loads, it was indeed a forced march.
Common people's entertainment: "Daimyo Watching"
By the way, the shout of "Shimo nii~" (forcing someone to prostrate) was only allowed for a few, such as the Tokugawa Three Houses, and when an ordinary daimyo passed, commoners simply had to step aside at the edge of the road.
It is said that Edoites bought a daimyo guidebook called 'Bukan' at a bookstore in Nihonbashi and enjoyed watching, thinking, "Oh, that spear shape belongs to the 〇〇 domain. What a country bumpkin!"
The "Eastern Parade" that astonished the Dutch.
The Dutch physician Kempfer, who was heading from Dejima in Nagasaki to Edo, witnessed and recorded the Sankin-kotai procession.
When he passed by the procession of the Kishu domain, he first saw a large group coming from the front, thinking it was the "advance party." Then he saw another large group, thinking it was "just a baggage transport team." Finally, around noon, the luxurious "main party (the lord)" passed by, and the last tail end was not seen until evening.
Foreigners from Europe were astonished, thinking, "Is there such a huge and organized parade in this small island nation of the East!"
The miraculous post town "Ouchi-juku" left by the Sankin-kotai.
Now, this harsh Sankin-kotai actually produced a "byproduct" that dramatically developed Japan's infrastructure and culture.
In order for the daimyo to safely and punctually arrive in Edo, roads and bridges across the country were improved, and the "post towns" along the routes flourished with significant economic benefits.
Our first lord of the Aizu domain, Masayuki Hoshina, also developed the "Aizu Nishi Kaido" connecting Aizu and Nikko, and conducted Sankin-kotai through there. One of the post towns that was developed at that time is the beautiful "Ouchi-juku" with its thatched roofs still standing today.
At "Tabinoito," we offer a tour in the 【Academic】 style where we talk about the formation of Ouchi-juku and the harsh realities of Sankin-kotai while you are on the move.
"Those lords also desperately walked this road,"
Why not savor the famous negi soba while feeling the breath of history? Your perspective on period dramas might just change a little.
