Japanese Post Road System (Kaidō)

Timeline

1. c. 1560–1580Tōkaidō (Owari–Kyoto section) · TōkaidōAfter Oda Nobunaga controlled the Kinai region, he repaired trunk routes such as the Tōkaidō, removing Warring States checkpoints, widening roads, and establishing post stations to ensure army mobility and commercial flow; the road system began to be unified.
2. c. 1581–1590Osaka · KinaiDuring his nationwide unification, Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried out large-scale road repairs, established post stations, and standardized checkpoint management; by the 1580s, post-station spacing and travel rules on the Tōkaidō, Nakasendō, and other trunk routes had become institutionalized.
3. 1601–1868Edo · KantōThe Tokugawa shogunate established the Five Routes system and set up horse-relay and courier-relay institutions; the post road system became national infrastructure for military and political communications, sankin-kōtai attendance, and commercial circulation under the bakuhan system.