Changes

Some of these barriers were those already existing before the establishment of the shogunate, but most were built during the reign of Shogun [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] (r. [[1605]]-[[1623]]), with the last of the 53 ''sekisho'' being established in [[1686]]. Many were newly constructed where no formal barrier checkpoint had existed before, but some were built as expansions or reconfigurations of barriers built by local/regional warlords.

Some of these barriers were those already existing before the establishment of the shogunate, but most were built during the reign of Shogun [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] (r. [[1605]]-[[1623]]), with the last of the 53 ''sekisho'' being established in [[1686]]. Many were newly constructed where no formal barrier checkpoint had existed before, but some were built as expansions or reconfigurations of barriers built by local/regional warlords.

A system of passes, or passports, was put into place to regulate who was permitted to pass through the barriers. Identification papers were known as ''sekisho tegata'', or simply ''tegata''.<ref>Craig, Teruko (trans.). ''Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai''. University of Arizona Press, 1988. p160.</ref> A late 18th century traveler, [[Sugae Masumi]], describes these passes as including descriptions of the identity of the traveler, his origin and destination, his clothing and whether or not he carried a short sword; there was generally a fee to pass each barrier, and one's pass was marked to indicate that one had been checked at the checkpoint.<ref>Bolitho. p494.</ref> The requirement of possessing a pass was more strongly enforced moving away from Edo, rather than when one was traveling towards Edo, and regulations in general were stricter for women than for men. At twenty of the 53 stations, non-local women were not permitted to pass at all.<ref>[[Constantine Vaporis]], "Linking the Realm: The Gokaidô Highway Network in Early Modern Japan," in Susan Alcock et al (eds.) ''Highways Byways and Road Systems in the Pre-Modern World'', Wiley-Blackwell (2012), 98.</ref>

A system of passes, or passports, was put into place to regulate who was permitted to pass through the barriers. Identification papers were known as ''sekisho tegata'', or simply ''tegata''.<ref>Craig, Teruko (trans.). ''Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai''. University of Arizona Press, 1988. p160.</ref> A late 18th century traveler, [[Sugae Masumi]], describes these passes as including descriptions of the identity of the traveler, his origin and destination, his clothing and whether or not he carried a short sword; there was generally a fee to pass each barrier, and one's pass was marked to indicate that one had been checked at the checkpoint.<ref>Bolitho. p494.</ref> The requirement of possessing a pass was more strongly enforced moving away from Edo, rather than when one was traveling towards Edo, and regulations in general were stricter for women than for men. At twenty of the 53 stations, non-local women were not permitted to pass at all. Due to these restrictions, traveling parties that included women often took side-roads, which thus came to be known as ''onna-michi'' ("women's roads").<ref>[[Constantine Vaporis]], "Linking the Realm: The Gokaidô Highway Network in Early Modern Japan," in Susan Alcock et al (eds.) ''Highways Byways and Road Systems in the Pre-Modern World'', Wiley-Blackwell (2012), 98.</ref>

Certain domains instituted their own additional precautions. [[Hitoyoshi han]] is known to have assigned escorts to those traveling through its territory, to keep an eye on where the traveler went and what he saw, and perhaps to discourage or prevent him from going to certain places or seeing certain things. [[Satsuma han]] is known to have searched travelers' belongings at the border, and to require travelers to prove they had enough funds to not become a burden upon the domain while sojourning there; Satsuma also instituted a system by which one's traveling pass was to be given to the headman of the village one stayed in each night, and regained from the headman in the morning.

Certain domains instituted their own additional precautions. [[Hitoyoshi han]] is known to have assigned escorts to those traveling through its territory, to keep an eye on where the traveler went and what he saw, and perhaps to discourage or prevent him from going to certain places or seeing certain things. [[Satsuma han]] is known to have searched travelers' belongings at the border, and to require travelers to prove they had enough funds to not become a burden upon the domain while sojourning there; Satsuma also instituted a system by which one's traveling pass was to be given to the headman of the village one stayed in each night, and regained from the headman in the morning.