Changes

Though well-apportioned, permanent establishments, ''honjin'' evolved out of the [[Sengoku period]] practice of warlords commandeering people's homes (or renting them, based on consenting agreement) to use them as a temporary headquarters, or simply as lodgings for a night.<ref>Miyamoto Tsuneichi 宮本常一, ''Nihon no shuku'' 日本の宿, Tokyo: Shakai shisôsha (1965), 166.</ref> The term is said to originate in Shogun [[Ashikaga Yoshiakira|Ashikaga Yoshiakira's]] usage of lodgings specially arranged for him, on a journey to the capital in [[1363]].<ref>''Maisaka chôshi: shiryô hen 2'' 舞阪町史・史料編２, Shizuoka: Maisaka Town (1971), 649.</ref> In the Edo period, ''honjin'' continued to serve metaphorically as the headquarters of a ''daimyô'' as military commander, a fact reflected in the term itself, which literally means "main encampment" or "chief tent."<ref>''Umimichi wo yuku'', 120.</ref> This functions as one element of the metaphor of ''sankin kôtai'' - despite it being a practice of a period of peace - as a military action; that is, of ''sankin kôtai'' as a military march, the movement of a lord's troops from his home domain to [[Edo]] as part of the fulfillment of that lord's feudal obligations to ''his'' lord (the shogun).

Though well-apportioned, permanent establishments, ''honjin'' evolved out of the [[Sengoku period]] practice of warlords commandeering people's homes (or renting them, based on consenting agreement) to use them as a temporary headquarters, or simply as lodgings for a night.<ref>Miyamoto Tsuneichi 宮本常一, ''Nihon no shuku'' 日本の宿, Tokyo: Shakai shisôsha (1965), 166.</ref> The term is said to originate in Shogun [[Ashikaga Yoshiakira|Ashikaga Yoshiakira's]] usage of lodgings specially arranged for him, on a journey to the capital in [[1363]].<ref>''Maisaka chôshi: shiryô hen 2'' 舞阪町史・史料編２, Shizuoka: Maisaka Town (1971), 649.</ref> In the Edo period, ''honjin'' continued to serve metaphorically as the headquarters of a ''daimyô'' as military commander, a fact reflected in the term itself, which literally means "main encampment" or "chief tent."<ref>''Umimichi wo yuku'', 120.</ref> This functions as one element of the metaphor of ''sankin kôtai'' - despite it being a practice of a period of peace - as a military action; that is, of ''sankin kôtai'' as a military march, the movement of a lord's troops from his home domain to [[Edo]] as part of the fulfillment of that lord's feudal obligations to ''his'' lord (the shogun).

A ''honjin'' might typically house a ''daimyô'' along with 20-30 (or in rare cases as many as 70-90) of his higher-level retainers,<ref name=kusatsu36/> but rarely if ever housed an entire ''sankin kôtai'' mission; not only were few (if any) ''honjin'' large enough to accommodate that many people, but the idea of lower-ranking followers sharing the same lodgings with the lord went against social norms. ''Honjin'' were often accompanied by secondary establishments known as ''waki-honjin'', where additional members of an elite group might stay; for example, when the lead ambassador (''seishi'') of a Ryukyuan embassy stayed at a ''honjin'', his vice- or deputy envoy (''fukushi'') typically stayed at the town's ''waki-honjin'', along with other members of the embassy above a certain rank, while the remaining, lower-ranking, members of their mission were given lodgings at ''[[hatagoya]]'' - a more regular sort of inn, frequented by individual samurai and commoner travelers. Lower-ranking members of a mission might also be housed in private homes, Buddhist temples, or Shinto shrines.

A ''honjin'' might typically house a ''daimyô'' along with 20-30 (or in rare cases as many as 70-90) of his higher-level retainers,<ref name=kusatsu36>''Kokushitei shiseki Kusatsu-juku honjin'', Kusatsu, Shiga: Shiseki Kusatsujuku honjin (2014), 36.</ref> but rarely if ever housed an entire ''sankin kôtai'' mission; not only were few (if any) ''honjin'' large enough to accommodate that many people, but the idea of lower-ranking followers sharing the same lodgings with the lord went against social norms. ''Honjin'' were often accompanied by secondary establishments known as ''waki-honjin'', where additional members of an elite group might stay; for example, when the lead ambassador (''seishi'') of a Ryukyuan embassy stayed at a ''honjin'', his vice- or deputy envoy (''fukushi'') typically stayed at the town's ''waki-honjin'', along with other members of the embassy above a certain rank, while the remaining, lower-ranking, members of their mission were given lodgings at ''[[hatagoya]]'' - a more regular sort of inn, frequented by individual samurai and commoner travelers. Lower-ranking members of a mission might also be housed in private homes, Buddhist temples, or Shinto shrines.

The highway system as established by the shogunate did not initially include the establishment of lodgings for ''daimyô'' and others; it was in response to demand from ''daimyô'' and others that village elders or headmen (''shôya'' or ''nanushi''), or others who happened to possess sufficiently large homes in each post-town, adapted their homes to serve as lodgings for elite guests, thus giving birth to a network of ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin''.<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 176.</ref><ref name=kusatsu36>''Kokushitei shiseki Kusatsu-juku honjin'', Kusatsu, Shiga: Shiseki Kusatsujuku honjin (2014), 36.</ref> This process was given a boost by the journey to Kyoto of Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] in [[1634]], who ordered the establishment of a number of lodgings at that time.<ref name=kusatsu36/> Additional ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin'' sprang up quickly after ''sankin kôtai'' was made obligatory for all ''daimyô'' in [[1642]],<ref>With a very few select exceptions, such as for those clans whose service to the realm instead took the form of effecting the defense of the port of [[Nagasaki]], for example.</ref> and soon became standard fixtures in major ports and post-towns across the realm.  

The highway system as established by the shogunate did not initially include the establishment of lodgings for ''daimyô'' and others; it was in response to demand from ''daimyô'' and others that village elders or headmen (''shôya'' or ''nanushi''), or others who happened to possess sufficiently large homes in each post-town, adapted their homes to serve as lodgings for elite guests, thus giving birth to a network of ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin''.<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 176.</ref><ref name=kusatsu36/> This process was given a boost by the journey to Kyoto of Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] in [[1634]], who ordered the establishment of a number of lodgings at that time.<ref name=kusatsu36/> Additional ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin'' sprang up quickly after ''sankin kôtai'' was made obligatory for all ''daimyô'' in [[1642]],<ref>With a very few select exceptions, such as for those clans whose service to the realm instead took the form of effecting the defense of the port of [[Nagasaki]], for example.</ref> and soon became standard fixtures in major ports and post-towns across the realm.  

Across the fifty-three stations of the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô Highway]], there were 111 ''honjin'' and 73 ''waki-honjin''.<ref name=miyamoto167>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 167. This added up to an average of roughly two ''honjin'' and one ''waki-honjin'' per post-station. Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/31363644767/sizes/l/]</ref> While some towns had only one ''honjin'' (and perhaps not even a ''waki-honjin''), larger towns often had several of each. [[Hakone]] and [[Hamamatsu]], for example, were each home to six ''honjin'', while [[Odawara]] was home to four ''honjin''.<ref>Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/31363644767/sizes/l/].</ref> Across the fifty-three stations of the Tôkaidô, the average was just over two ''honjin'' per post-station.<ref name=kusatsu36/> While in most towns the ''honjin'' outnumbered the ''waki-honjin'', there were exceptions; at [[Omiya-juku|Ômiya]] on the [[Nakasendo|Nakasendô]], there were nine ''waki-honjin'' but only one ''honjin''.<ref name=miyamoto167/>

Across the fifty-three stations of the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô Highway]], there were 111 ''honjin'' and 73 ''waki-honjin''.<ref name=miyamoto167>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 167. This added up to an average of roughly two ''honjin'' and one ''waki-honjin'' per post-station. Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/31363644767/sizes/l/]</ref> While some towns had only one ''honjin'' (and perhaps not even a ''waki-honjin''), larger towns often had several of each. [[Hakone]] and [[Hamamatsu]], for example, were each home to six ''honjin'', while [[Odawara]] was home to four ''honjin''.<ref>Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/31363644767/sizes/l/].</ref> Across the fifty-three stations of the Tôkaidô, the average was just over two ''honjin'' per post-station.<ref name=kusatsu36/> While in most towns the ''honjin'' outnumbered the ''waki-honjin'', there were exceptions; at [[Omiya-juku|Ômiya]] on the [[Nakasendo|Nakasendô]], there were nine ''waki-honjin'' but only one ''honjin''.<ref name=miyamoto167/>

Similarly, the percentage of visitors who stayed overnight at the ''honjin'' rather than simply stopping briefly for a "rest" (often referred to as 休 or 小休 in documents from the time) also ranged from one ''honjin'' to another, depending on a number of factors including their location relative to major destinations, other post-stations, and river or sea crossings. At Ishibe and Toriimoto, for example, roughly 80% of the elite guests who passed through stayed overnight, whereas at Tsuchiyama, only roughly 30% stayed overnight, while the remainder merely stopped for tea, lunch, or a brief rest.<ref name=miyamoto178/> A ''honjin's'' revenues accordingly ranged widely as well; while many ''honjin'' brought in around 20-40 ''[[currency|ryô]]'' each year, some in particularly well-traveled locations, such as [[Hodogaya]], [[Mishima-juku|Mishima]], and [[Miya-juku]], regularly brought in as much as 100-150 ''ryô'' per year, during peak decades.<ref name=miyamoto178/>

Similarly, the percentage of visitors who stayed overnight at the ''honjin'' rather than simply stopping briefly for a "rest" (often referred to as 休 or 小休 in documents from the time) also ranged from one ''honjin'' to another, depending on a number of factors including their location relative to major destinations, other post-stations, and river or sea crossings. At Ishibe and Toriimoto, for example, roughly 80% of the elite guests who passed through stayed overnight, whereas at Tsuchiyama, only roughly 30% stayed overnight, while the remainder merely stopped for tea, lunch, or a brief rest.<ref name=miyamoto178/> A ''honjin's'' revenues accordingly ranged widely as well; while many ''honjin'' brought in around 20-40 ''[[currency|ryô]]'' each year, some in particularly well-traveled locations, such as [[Hodogaya]], [[Mishima-juku|Mishima]], and [[Miya-juku]], regularly brought in as much as 100-150 ''ryô'' per year, during peak decades.<ref name=miyamoto178/>

''Daimyô'' typically established regular reservations with ''honjin'' along their ''sankin kôtai'' routes, such that the ''honjin'' would know to expect them on particular dates each year, and to have a reception prepared for them in a particular manner, with the ''daimyô'' paying a pre-arranged amount as a show of gratitude. Such arrangements helped avoid difficulties which might otherwise emerge from negotiating and re-negotiating the schedule, and the terms, each time. Still, there were times when a ''daimyô'' arrived in a town to find that another ''daimyô'' (or Imperial envoy, or another guest of similar elite status) had booked the inn for the night; most of the time, this resulted in the newcomer taking up lodging in the town's ''waki-honjin'', or another similar establishment, when available. ''Daimyô'' also quite regularly passed through post-towns, not staying the night, but merely using the ''honjin'' as a place to rest for a bit, and to perhaps enjoy a meal. Such meals and rest-stops were also often pre-arranged, but ''daimyô'' could also simply arrive and have their men make an arrangement on the spot.

''Daimyô'' typically established regular reservations with ''honjin'' along their ''sankin kôtai'' routes, such that the ''honjin'' would know to expect them on particular dates each year, and to have a reception prepared for them in a particular manner, with the ''daimyô'' paying a pre-arranged amount as a show of gratitude. Reservations were typically made anywhere from 50 days to one year in advance.<ref name=kusatsu37>''Kokushitei shiseki Kusatsu-juku honjin'', Kusatsu, Shiga: Shiseki Kusatsujuku honjin (2014), 37.</ref> Such arrangements helped avoid difficulties which might otherwise emerge from negotiating and re-negotiating the schedule, and the terms, each time. Still, there were times when a ''daimyô'' arrived in a town to find that another ''daimyô'' (or Imperial envoy, or another guest of similar elite status) had booked the inn for the night; most of the time, this resulted in the newcomer taking up lodging in the town's ''waki-honjin'', or another similar establishment, when available. ''Daimyô'' also quite regularly passed through post-towns, not staying the night, but merely using the ''honjin'' as a place to rest for a bit, and to perhaps enjoy a meal. Such meals and rest-stops were also often pre-arranged, but ''daimyô'' could also simply arrive and have their men make an arrangement on the spot.

As a ''daimyô'' and his entourage approached a post-town, they would send a messenger ahead to alert the ''honjin'' to the ''daimyô's'' impending arrival. A special curtain, often bearing the visitor's ''[[kamon]]'' was hung over the entrance, and plaques known as ''[[sekifuda]]'' bearing his name were placed both at the ''honjin'' and at both main entrances to the town, announcing who it was that had reserved the town's lodgings for the night.<ref name=miyamoto175>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 175.</ref><ref name=futaplaques>Plaques on-site at Futagawa-juku honjin.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/45579059734/sizes/k/][https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/32430412408/sizes/l/]</ref><ref>While at most post-stations it was typical to hang the ''sekifuda'' only at the entrance to the town and at the gate of the ''honjin'', at Futagawa-juku, there were a number of sites throughout the town where ''sekifuda'' were typically displayed, including in front of the ''shimoyado'' ("lower lodgings") where a daimyo's retainers would be lodged. Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/45389864635/sizes/3k/]</ref> A number of other preparations were also performed, including arranging small mounds of sand or salt, called ''[[morisuna]]'', and a decorative broom and bucket (known as ''kazari-hôki'' and ''kazari-oke''), outside of the inn as symbolic indications of the cleanliness and preparedness of the ''honjin''. The messenger would often exchange a ''sekifuda'', an official indication of his lord's wishes, for a receipt from the ''honjin'' confirming their acknowledgement of the reservation. When the ''daimyô'' then arrived in town, he would be greeted near the entrance to the town, and led to the ''honjin'', where a proper reception awaited. It was not uncommon for all the officials of the post-town to contribute directly to the process of receiving a ''daimyô'' (or other figure of similar status), with some officials performing the greetings and formal reception, some ensuring the streets and the ''honjin'' itself were clean and in good condition, and others overseeing guardsmen and security concerns. ''Daimyô'' parties commonly numbered in the hundreds, or in the thousands when one includes the many porters and other commoner workers hired to accompany the group. Such groups could not be housed solely at a single ''honjin'', or even in most cases across the multiple ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin'' in a given town. Rather, it was quite common for as many as 150 inns (''[[hatagoya]]'') and private homes, often the majority of the town as a whole, to be given over to the task of housing middle- and lower-ranking members of a traveling party; such additional spaces were known as ''shimo yado'' (lit. "lower lodgings").<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 173, 179-180.</ref>

As a ''daimyô'' and his entourage approached a post-town, they would send a messenger ahead to alert the ''honjin'' to the ''daimyô's'' impending arrival. A special curtain, often bearing the visitor's ''[[kamon]]'' was hung over the entrance, and plaques known as ''[[sekifuda]]'' bearing his name were placed both at the ''honjin'' and at both main entrances to the town, announcing who it was that had reserved the town's lodgings for the night.<ref name=miyamoto175>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 175.</ref><ref name=futaplaques>Plaques on-site at Futagawa-juku honjin.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/45579059734/sizes/k/][https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/32430412408/sizes/l/]</ref><ref>While at most post-stations it was typical to hang the ''sekifuda'' only at the entrance to the town and at the gate of the ''honjin'', at Futagawa-juku, there were a number of sites throughout the town where ''sekifuda'' were typically displayed, including in front of the ''shimoyado'' ("lower lodgings") where a daimyo's retainers would be lodged. Gallery labels, Futagawa-juku honjin shiryôkan.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/45389864635/sizes/3k/]</ref> A number of other preparations were also performed, including arranging small mounds of sand or salt, called ''[[morisuna]]'', and a decorative broom and bucket (known as ''kazari-hôki'' and ''kazari-oke''), outside of the inn as symbolic indications of the cleanliness and preparedness of the ''honjin''. The messenger would often exchange a ''sekifuda'', an official indication of his lord's wishes, for a receipt from the ''honjin'' confirming their acknowledgement of the reservation. When the ''daimyô'' then arrived in town, he would be greeted near the entrance to the town, and led to the ''honjin'', where a proper reception awaited. It was not uncommon for all the officials of the post-town to contribute directly to the process of receiving a ''daimyô'' (or other figure of similar status), with some officials performing the greetings and formal reception, some ensuring the streets and the ''honjin'' itself were clean and in good condition, and others overseeing guardsmen and security concerns. ''Daimyô'' parties commonly numbered in the hundreds, or in the thousands when one includes the many porters and other commoner workers hired to accompany the group. Such groups could not be housed solely at a single ''honjin'', or even in most cases across the multiple ''honjin'' and ''waki-honjin'' in a given town. Rather, it was quite common for as many as 150 inns (''[[hatagoya]]'') and private homes, often the majority of the town as a whole, to be given over to the task of housing middle- and lower-ranking members of a traveling party; such additional spaces were known as ''shimo yado'' (lit. "lower lodgings").<ref>Miyamoto, ''Nihon no shuku'', 173, 179-180.</ref>