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[[File:Futagawa-goza.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The ''goza no ma'' at the ''honjin'' at Futagawa-juku.]]

[[File:Futagawa-goza.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The ''jôdan no ma'' at the ''honjin'' at Futagawa-juku.]]

[[File:Futagawa-itanoma.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The ''ita no ma'' luggage storage space at the ''honjin'' at Futagawa-juku.]]

[[File:Futagawa-itanoma.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The ''ita no ma'' luggage storage space at the ''honjin'' at Futagawa-juku.]]

''Honjin'' were often the largest buildings in a given town.<ref>Though there are obvious exceptions, such as in castle-towns such as Odawara, where the castle was far larger than the ''honjin''.</ref> The sole ''honjin'' at the small post-town of [[Futagawa-juku]], along the Tôkaidô in [[Mikawa province]], survives today as a local history museum; the building is 17 1/2 ''[[Japanese Measurements|ken]]'' wide, and covers a space of roughly 525 ''[[Japanese Measurements|tsubo]]''.<ref>Watanabe, 53.</ref> The largest ''honjin'' on the Tôkaidô were at [[Odawara-juku]]. This was in large part because of its location. The castle-town is both close to [[Edo]], meaning that most ''daimyô'' and other travelers from western Japan would come that way, and it is located between a difficult mountain pass & a river crossing; as a result, Odawara was a place that few travelers merely passed through, and where most instead stayed the night.<ref>Plaques and signs on-site at Odawara-juku nariwai kôryûkan.</ref> Some of the largest ''honjin'' at other post-stations included those at [[Narumi-juku]] (676.5 ''tsubo''), [[Kusatsu-juku]] (459 ''tsubo''), and [[Otsu|Ôtsu]] (394.5 ''tsubo''). In total, there were thirteen post-stations which featured ''honjin'' larger than 300 ''tsubo''. Most ''waki-honjin'', by comparison, were around 100 ''tsubo'' in area.<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 168-169.</ref> The many rooms at the ''honjin'' at Ishibe totalled 264 tatami in area. As Ishibe typically saw on average parties of 28 guests at once, we can estimate that each member of that party would have had an area of 9-10 tatami to himself; when a larger party stayed at the ''honjin'', each individual might have as little as four tatami mats to themselves. However, this is an average, and as the ''daimyô'' would have claimed a disproportionate amount of space to himself, we can presume retainers would most often have been forced to share an even smaller amount of space.<ref name=miyamoto178>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 178-179.</ref>

''Honjin'' were often the largest buildings in a given town.<ref>Though there are obvious exceptions, such as in castle-towns such as Odawara, where the castle was far larger than the ''honjin''.</ref> The sole ''honjin'' at the small post-town of [[Futagawa-juku]], along the Tôkaidô in [[Mikawa province]], survives today as a local history museum; the building is 17 1/2 ''[[Japanese Measurements|ken]]'' wide, and covers a space of roughly 525 ''[[Japanese Measurements|tsubo]]''.<ref>Watanabe, 53.</ref> The largest ''honjin'' on the Tôkaidô were at [[Odawara-juku]]. This was in large part because of its location. The castle-town is both close to [[Edo]], meaning that most ''daimyô'' and other travelers from western Japan would come that way, and it is located between a difficult mountain pass & a river crossing; as a result, Odawara was a place that few travelers merely passed through, and where most instead stayed the night.<ref>Plaques and signs on-site at Odawara-juku nariwai kôryûkan.</ref> Some of the largest ''honjin'' at other post-stations included those at [[Narumi-juku]] (676.5 ''tsubo''), [[Kusatsu-juku]] (459 ''tsubo''), and [[Otsu|Ôtsu]] (394.5 ''tsubo''). In total, there were thirteen post-stations which featured ''honjin'' larger than 300 ''tsubo''. Most ''waki-honjin'', by comparison, were around 100 ''tsubo'' in area.<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 168-169.</ref> The many rooms at the ''honjin'' at Ishibe totalled 264 tatami in area. As Ishibe typically saw on average parties of 28 guests at once, we can estimate that each member of that party would have had an area of 9-10 tatami to himself; when a larger party stayed at the ''honjin'', each individual might have as little as four tatami mats to themselves. However, this is an average, and as the ''daimyô'' would have claimed a disproportionate amount of space to himself, we can presume retainers would most often have been forced to share an even smaller amount of space.<ref name=miyamoto178>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 178-179.</ref>

''Honjin'' often fronted directly onto the main road around which the town was built - e.g. a highway such as the Tôkaidô - and had a formal front gate, guardhouse, and ''genkan'' (entranceway/foyer) decorated with curtains ceremonially welcoming a formal guest such as a ''daimyô''. The ''daimyô'' would typically leave his [[palanquin]] at a designated spot near the front gate and enter the building via the ''genkan'', being formally received there and then led deeper into the building. While staying at a ''honjin'', a ''daimyô'' was typically given the use of a space known as the ''goza no ma'', a room with a slightly elevated tatami platform where the ''daimyô'' could sit and receive others, seated physically above them.<ref name=futaplaques/> Guardhouses at both the front and rear gates of the ''honjin'' were maintained for the use of visiting ''daimyô's'' retainers, who would be assigned in turn to stand guard; the rear gate functioned primarily as an emergency escape route.<ref name=futaplaques/>

''Honjin'' often fronted directly onto the main road around which the town was built - e.g. a highway such as the Tôkaidô - and had a formal front gate, guardhouse, and ''genkan'' (entranceway/foyer) decorated with curtains ceremonially welcoming a formal guest such as a ''daimyô''. The ''daimyô'' would typically leave his [[palanquin]] at a designated spot near the front gate and enter the building via the ''genkan'', being formally received there and then led deeper into the building. While staying at a ''honjin'', a ''daimyô'' was typically given the use of a space known as the ''goza no ma'' or ''jôdan no ma'', a room with a slightly elevated tatami platform where the ''daimyô'' could sit and receive others, seated physically above them. Such rooms were typically furnished with a ''[[tokonoma]]'' and ''[[shoin-zukuri]]'' furnishings, contributing to its function as a proxy for equivalent audience hall or ''shoin'' spaces at the lord's own mansions.<ref name=futaplaques/> Guardhouses at both the front and rear gates of the ''honjin'' were maintained for the use of visiting ''daimyô's'' retainers, who would be assigned in turn to stand guard; the rear gate functioned primarily as an emergency escape route.<ref name=futaplaques/>

A ''shitomido'' latticed shutter to one side of the entrance of a ''honjin'' provided access to a storage space known as the ''ita no ma'' ("plank room"), allowing a visiting entourage to load luggage boxes and the like directly from the road into the ''honjin's'' storage. As the name suggests, this space had a solid wooden-plank floor, not lined with tatami.<ref name=futaplaques/>

A ''shitomido'' latticed shutter to one side of the entrance of a ''honjin'' provided access to a storage space known as the ''ita no ma'' ("plank room"), allowing a visiting entourage to load luggage boxes and the like directly from the road into the ''honjin's'' storage. As the name suggests, this space had a solid wooden-plank floor, not lined with tatami.<ref name=futaplaques/>