Edo Five Routes

The Five Routes (五街道, Gokaidō), sometimes translated as "Five Highways", were the five centrally administered routes, or kaidō, that connected the de facto capital of Japan at Edo (now Tokyo) with the outer provinces during the Edo period (1603–1868).

[2] Before this intervention, the post stations provided places for travelers to rest and ran a courier system.

In the 1640s, shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu closed down all but the necessary stations, which would be the last major change during the Edo period.

Some of the uses of these stations were preventing the trafficking of firearms, ensuring that the various rules and policies surrounding the sankin-kōtai were followed, and checking the passports of travelling commoners.

Markers were put up to indicate distance at each ri, which was defined at the time as 3.93 km (2.44 mi) from the starting point at Nihonbashi.