Japan National Route 4
History
History
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[thumb\|Illustration of the Ōshū Kaidō as it appeared during the Edo period](/wiki/File:%E3%80%8C%E6%A0%97%E6%A9%8B%E9%96%A2%E5%97%8C%E3%80%8D%E3%80%81%E3%80%8E%E6%9C%A8%E6%9B%BD%E8%B7%AF%E5%90%8D%E6%89%80%E5%9B%B3%E4%BC%9A%E3%80%8F277.png "「栗橋関嗌」、『木曽路名所図会』277.png")
National Route 4 was preceded by the [Tōsandō](/wiki/T%C5%8Dsand%C5%8D "Tōsandō"), a road initially established during the [Asuka period](/wiki/Asuka_period "Asuka period") as a road linking [Kinai](/wiki/Kinai "Kinai") (now [Kyoto](/wiki/Kyoto "Kyoto") and [Nara](/wiki/Nara%2C_Nara "Nara, Nara")) to what is now the vicinity of [Morioka, Iwate](/wiki/Morioka%2C_Iwate "Morioka, Iwate"). The portion of the Tōsandō that was later incorporated into National Route 4 lies between Tochigi Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture. The next development of the route came along with the creation of the [Ōshū Kaidō](/wiki/%C5%8Csh%C5%AB_Kaid%C5%8D "Ōshū Kaidō") (奥州街道) and [Nikkō Kaidō](/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D_Kaid%C5%8D "Nikkō Kaidō") (日光街道) as two of the [five routes](/wiki/Edo_Five_Routes "Edo Five Routes") of the [Edo period](/wiki/Edo_period "Edo period"). They were established by [Tokugawa Ieyasu](/wiki/Tokugawa_Ieyasu "Tokugawa Ieyasu") for government officials traveling through the area to connect Edo (modern\-day Tokyo) with [Mutsu Province](/wiki/Mutsu_Province "Mutsu Province") and the present\-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. There were also many roads that connected to the Ōshū Kaidō that are included in National Route 4\. One such sub\-route was the [Sendaidō](/wiki/Sendaid%C5%8D "Sendaidō") (仙台道), which connected Mutsu Province with Sendai. From Sendai, the [Matsumaedō](/wiki/Matsumaed%C5%8D "Matsumaedō") (松前道) connected Sendai with [Cape Tappi](/wiki/Cape_Tappi "Cape Tappi") and indirectly to [Hakodate](/wiki/Hakodate "Hakodate") on the southern shore of [Hokkaido](/wiki/Hokkaido "Hokkaido") on the [Tsugaru Strait](/wiki/Tsugaru_Strait "Tsugaru Strait"). Though the Ōshū Kaidō has only 27 post stations, there were over 100 designated post stations when the subroutes are included.[Ōshū Kaidō Map](http://www.yumekaido.ne.jp/ousyuframe.html) . Yumekaidō. Accessed 26 October 2017\. Some sections and markers of the Ōshū Kaidō in their original state can still be found alongside National Route 4, the [Hachinohe Expressway](/wiki/Hachinohe_Expressway "Hachinohe Expressway"), and [Tōhoku Expressway](/wiki/T%C5%8Dhoku_Expressway "Tōhoku Expressway").

On 4 December 1952 First Class National Highway 4 (from Tokyo to Aomori) was established. The route was reclassified as a General National Highway on 1 April 1965\. 

During the 2011 [Great East Japan Earthquake](/wiki/Great_East_Japan_Earthquake "Great East Japan Earthquake") many sections of the route in the Tōhoku area were damaged.


Which expressways are adjacent to National Route 4?