Tōkaidō (road)
| Tōkaidō | |
|---|---|
| (東海道; East Sea Road) | |
The Five Routes, the Tōkaidō being the southernmost route | |
| Route information | |
| Established by Tokugawa shogunate | |
| Length | 514 km (319 mi) |
| Time period | Edo |
| Cultural significance | Most important road connecting Japan's two largest cities |
| Related routes | The Five Routes |
| Restrictions | Permit required to travel beyond each check station |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto, Japan |
| East end | Edobashi in Edo, Japan |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Highway system | |
The Tōkaidō road (東海道, Tōkaidō; [to̞ːka̠ido̞ː]), which roughly means "eastern sea route," was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period in Japan, connecting Kyoto to the de facto capital of Japan at Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name.
The Tōkaidō was first used in ancient times as a route from Kyoto to central Honshu before the Edo period.