Tokaido Road Travelling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan

The Tukaidu Road offers a comparative study of the Tukaidu road's representations during the Edo (1600-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras. Throughout the Edo era, the Tukaidu highway was the most important route of Japan and transportation was confined to foot travel. In 1889, the Tukaidu Railway was established, at first paralleling and eventually almost eliminating the use of the highway. During both periods, the Tukaidu was a popular topic of representation and was depicted in a variety of visual and literary media. After the installation of the railway in the Meiji era, the Tukaidu was presented as a landscape of progress, modernity and westernisation. Such representations were fundamental in shaping the Tukaidu and the realm of travelling in the collective consciousness of the Japanese people.Traganou, Jilly is the author of 'Tokaido Road Travelling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan', published 0017 under ISBN 9780415310918 and ISBN 0415310911.