Jilly Traganou
The Tï¿½kaidï¿½ Road, offers a comparative study of the Tï¿½kaidï¿½ road's representations during the Edo (1600-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras. Throughout the Edo era, the Tï¿½kaidï¿½ highway was the most important route of Japan and transportation was confined to foot travel. In 1889, the Tï¿½kaidï¿½ Railway was established, at first paralleling and eventually almost eliminating the use of the highway. During both periods, the Tï¿½kaidï¿½ 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 Tï¿½kaidï¿½ was presented as a landscape of progress, modernity and westernisation. Such representations were fundamental in shaping the Tï¿½kaidï¿½ and the realm of travelling in the collective consciousness of the Japanese people.
Cultural,Japan
The Tï¿½kaidï¿½ Road: Travelling and Representation in EDO and Meiji Japan