Yokkaichi-juku

Yokkaichi-juku in the 1830s, as depicted by Hiroshige in the Hoeido edition of The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (1831-1834)

Yokkaichi-juku (四日市宿, Yokkaichi-juku) was the forty-third of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in former Ise Province in what is now part of the city of Yokkaichi, in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It was 12.8 km from Kuwana-juku, the preceding post town.

History

Yokkaichi-juku was a post town located on the intersection between the Tōkaidō and the Ise Sangū Kaidō, one of the main highways for pilgrims to the Ise Grand Shrines. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Yokkaichi was tenryō territory under direct control of the Shogun, and administered by a daikan based at the town. It had two honjin, one wakihonjin and 98 lesser inns. The town was noted for its market, held on the fourth day of each month.

The classic ukiyoe print by Ando Hiroshige (Hoeido edition) from 1831-1834, illustrates a windy day with a man racing after his hat, which has been blown away by the wind and another man crosses a small bridge over a stream.

Neighboring Post Towns

Tōkaidō

Kuwana-juku - Yokkaichi-juku - Ishiyakushi-juku

Further reading

• Carey, Patrick. Rediscovering the Old Tokaido:In the Footsteps of Hiroshige. Global Books UK (2000). ISBN 1-901903-10-9
• Chiba, Reiko. Hiroshige's Tokaido in Prints and Poetry. Tuttle. (1982) ISBN 0-8048-0246-7
• Taganau, Jilly. The Tokaido Road: Travelling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan. RoutledgeCurzon (2004). ISBN 0-415-31091-1