shukuba

Shukuba, or post stations, were organized settlements along major travel routes in Edo-period Japan. Their purpose was to provide lodging, meals, and other services to travelers, official messengers, and samurai on long journeys. The system linked important routes such as the Tokaido and Nakasendo, enabling movement between Edo and provincial domains and supporting the shogunate’s administrative needs.

Facilities in a shukuba typically included honjin, the inn reserved for daimyo and other high-ranking officials; waki-honjin, a secondary lodging for officials when the honjin was in use; and hatago, inns for common travelers. In addition, shukuba offered stables, storage houses, teahouses, and post offices, and they functioned as relay points for relay stations and courier services. The towns also provided markets and services for travelers and their retinues, forming economic centers along the routes.

Administration and travel control were integrated with sekisho (checkpoint) stations nearby to regulate movement, collect tolls, and enforce rules such as the sankin-kotai system, under which daimyo and samurai regularly moved between their domains and Edo.

Many shukuba declined with the Meiji Restoration and the adoption of railways, but some survive today as preserved historic districts or museum-houses. Notable preserved post towns on the Nakasendo include Narai-juku, Magome-juku, and Tsumago-juku, which retain traditional wooden buildings and layouts that reflect Edo-period travel culture.