During the Edo Period, travel and goods transportation were subject to very strict control. Hence, along the Gokaidō, the 5 main roads leading to Edo, there were no less than 53 checkpoints!
On Tōkaidō, the road connecting Edo and Kyoto, the most important checkpoint, used for 260 years, was in Hakone. Besides checking travel permits, the checkpoint officials were careful to prevent guns entering and… women leaving Edo, a rule known as iri-deppō ni de-onna. This unusual approach was conceived to avoid any possible rebellion against the Shogunate, by keeping the lord’s families inside Edo, virtually as hostages…
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