Changes

In addition to simply being resident in Edo for a certain period of time, the performance of ''sankin kôtai'' involved formal audiences with the shogun, in which the ''daimyô'' would officially present himself to the shogun, as performance of military duty, in observance of feudal fealty to his lord. During a ''daimyô's'' time in [[Edo castle]], only the ''daimyô'' himself and a certain number of higher-ranking retainers would actually enter the castle; the remainder of his retinue, some considerable number of middle- and low-ranking samurai, would remain outside the castle, sitting around on the ground, eating, drinking, chatting, sleeping, etc. Both when arriving in Edo, and when departing, the clan would send a formal request to the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' some six months ahead of time; the response would declare when they would be expected at the castle for formal audiences.<ref name=nagairei/> Once actually arriving in the city, a message would be sent to announce their arrival, and either a member of the ''rôjû'', or for lower-ranking ''daimyô'' a ''[[soshaban|sôshaban]]'', would come to the lord's mansion and deliver orders to venture up to the castle at a specific day and time to be received by the shogun; high-ranking ''daimyô'' would be received individually, while lower-ranking lords were received only in groups.<ref>Yamamoto Hirofumi, ''Sankin kôtai'', Kodansha gendai shinsho (1998), 184-187.</ref>

In addition to simply being resident in Edo for a certain period of time, the performance of ''sankin kôtai'' involved formal audiences with the shogun, in which the ''daimyô'' would officially present himself to the shogun, as performance of military duty, in observance of feudal fealty to his lord. During a ''daimyô's'' time in [[Edo castle]], only the ''daimyô'' himself and a certain number of higher-ranking retainers would actually enter the castle; the remainder of his retinue, some considerable number of middle- and low-ranking samurai, would remain outside the castle, sitting around on the ground, eating, drinking, chatting, sleeping, etc. Both when arriving in Edo, and when departing, the clan would send a formal request to the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' some six months ahead of time; the response would declare when they would be expected at the castle for formal audiences.<ref name=nagairei/> Once actually arriving in the city, a message would be sent to announce their arrival, and either a member of the ''rôjû'', or for lower-ranking ''daimyô'' a ''[[soshaban|sôshaban]]'', would come to the lord's mansion and deliver orders to venture up to the castle at a specific day and time to be received by the shogun; high-ranking ''daimyô'' would be received individually, while lower-ranking lords were received only in groups.<ref>Yamamoto Hirofumi, ''Sankin kôtai'', Kodansha gendai shinsho (1998), 184-187.</ref>

==Bakumatsu==

==Bakumatsu==