is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. Saikaido was one of the main
circuits of the
Gokishichidō
was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyon ...
system, which was originally established during the
Asuka period
The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after ...
.
This name identified the geographic region of
Kyūshū and the islands of
Tsushima and
Iki
IKI may refer to:
* Internationales Kulturinstitut in Vienna
* Iodine potassium-iodide, a chemical compound
* Russian Space Research Institute originally known as IKI RAN
* Iki Airport, IATA code
Iki or iki may refer to:
* Iki Island, a Japanese ...
. It consisted of nine
ancient provinces and two islands.
[Compare ]Nankaidō
is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The road connected provincial capitals in this region. It was part of the Gokishichidō system.
The ''Nankaidō'' encompass ...
, which includes all of Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
, is the "southern sea circuit" and Tōkaidō is the "eastern sea circuit", made famous by the wood-block prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige
Utagawa Hiroshige (, also ; ja, 歌川 広重 ), born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format l ...
. The provinces included
Chikuzen,
Chikugo,
Buzen,
Bungo,
Hizen
was an old province of Japan in the area of the Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō. It did not incl ...
,
Higo,
Hyūga,
Satsuma and
Ōsumi.
See also
*
Notes
References
*
Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
.
OCLC 58053128
Road transport in Japan
Saikaido
{{Japan-road-stub