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==General==
==History==
The origins of the highway network can be traced to the founding of the ''[[ritsuryo|ritsuryô]]'' state in the 7th century. The Yamato state constructed a series of paved roads, roughly ten meters wide, radiating out from the capital, and traveling roughly in straight lines. The Tôkaidô, Tôsandô, and Hokuriku roads running east and north, along with the San'in-dô and San'yô-dô running west from the capital, and the Nankaidô running south, all had their origins at this time. The Seikai Road, running south from [[Dazaifu]], and one of the only major roads not emanating from the capital, was also built at this time.<ref>Amino Yoshihiko, Alan Christy (trans.), ''Rethinking Japanese History'', University of Michigan (2012), 49.</ref>
==Routes==
==Routes==
The routes of the highways changed little-by-little over time, often by improvements to get around natural barriars. Most of the highways below are still in use and are commonly called by their old names. One normally talks about "Kôshû Kaidô" rather than NR (national route) 20, for instance. The modern expressway network does not follow the old routes, however.
The routes of the highways changed little-by-little over time, often by improvements to get around natural barriars. Most of the highways below are still in use and are commonly called by their old names. One normally talks about "Kôshû Kaidô" rather than NR (national route) 20, for instance. The modern expressway network does not follow the old routes, however.