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

About the Author

Jilly Traganou currently teaches Architecture at the University of Texas. She has contributed to Japanese Capitals and Suburbanizing the Masses.

Reviews

'Of great value for those interested in the history of travelling in Japan, and more specifically of travelling along the Tokaido.' - Society for Japanese Arts Newsletter

'What Treganou gives is a compendium of the culture and history of the Tokaido in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. It is a helpful work that will encourage serious thinking about the range of issues it covers.' - Journal of School of Oriental and African Studies

'Jilly Traganou's Tokaido Road provides a valuable multidimensional perspective on what is arguably the most renowned thoroughfare in the world.' - Monumenta Nipponica

'Of great value for those interested in the history of traveling in Japan, and more specifically of traveling along the Tokaido.' - Society for Japanese Arts Newsletter

'What Treganou gives is a compendium of the culture andhistory of the Tokaido in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. It is a helpful work that will encourage serious thinking about the range of issues it covers.' - Journal of School of Oriental and African Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780415511148
Author Jilly Traganou
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 560g