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Lot Essay
The development of an efficient transportation network was among Tokugawa Ieyasu’s earliest strategies for consolidating his authority over the newly unified country. Beginning in 1601, Ieyasu established a system of post stations and official transport along the Tokaido, connecting Edo with Kyoto. This network was gradually expanded and formalized into the Five Highways (Gokaido), all radiating from Nihonbashi in Edo (see lots 114 and 115) and linking the new seat of Tokugawa power with the provinces.
The Tokaido was the first of these highways to be systematically developed. Eventually, fifty-three official post stations (shukueki) were established between Edo and Kyoto, providing travelers with accommodation, horses, porters, and other services. Some people believe the number fifty-three was associated with the Buddhist tale of Sudhana (Zenzai doji), who reached enlightenment after receiving teaching from fifty-three spiritual teachers.
Travel along these highways increased substantially during the Edo period, particularly with the development of sankin kotai (alternate attendance), under which daimyo were required to divide their time between their domains and Edo, traveling with often substantial retinues. The increasingly active highways encouraged the growth of post towns and a flourishing culture of travel, pilgrimage, guidebooks, souvenirs, and popular imagery associated with celebrated places along the routes.
The present lot is a sugoroku, a popular board game in which players advance their pieces according to the throw of dice, following a prescribed route toward a final destination. Here, the journey begins at Nihonbashi in the lower right corner and progresses through the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido before arriving at Kyoto. The final destination, prominently positioned at the center of the sheet, is represented by Sanjo Ohashi Bridge and the Imperial Palace.
The Tokaido was the first of these highways to be systematically developed. Eventually, fifty-three official post stations (shukueki) were established between Edo and Kyoto, providing travelers with accommodation, horses, porters, and other services. Some people believe the number fifty-three was associated with the Buddhist tale of Sudhana (Zenzai doji), who reached enlightenment after receiving teaching from fifty-three spiritual teachers.
Travel along these highways increased substantially during the Edo period, particularly with the development of sankin kotai (alternate attendance), under which daimyo were required to divide their time between their domains and Edo, traveling with often substantial retinues. The increasingly active highways encouraged the growth of post towns and a flourishing culture of travel, pilgrimage, guidebooks, souvenirs, and popular imagery associated with celebrated places along the routes.
The present lot is a sugoroku, a popular board game in which players advance their pieces according to the throw of dice, following a prescribed route toward a final destination. Here, the journey begins at Nihonbashi in the lower right corner and progresses through the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido before arriving at Kyoto. The final destination, prominently positioned at the center of the sheet, is represented by Sanjo Ohashi Bridge and the Imperial Palace.