Explication of the Historical Characteristics of Travel in early modern Japan

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26770213
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Yoichi 東北大学, 東北アジア研究センター, 助教 (40568466)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 旅 / 近世 / 道中日記 / 紀行文 / 自然景観 / 史跡 / 信仰 / 観光

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the historical characteristics of travel in early modern Japan through an analysis of traveler's records (dochu-nikki and kikobun).
In the first half of the study period, I put an emphasis on the collection of these travel records. In the second half, I focused on analyzing these records and organizing previous research on the history of travel in early modern Japan. By examining the routes of travelers and their behavior at their destinations, I found that travel in the early modern period had strong religious characteristics, in contrast to previous research that had focused on tourism. It was also found that intellectuals engaged in a kind of “travel of reminiscence,” influenced strongly by the past.
From the research described above, I concluded that the unique feature of travel in early modern Japan was its diversity of characteristics. As a result of this study, I published a book incorporating the conclusions of my research.

Free Research Field

日本近世史