In the old times, land transportation in Japan was extremely slow, most of the people were traveling by foot and only the rich were able to rent palanquins (kago or norimono)… And, of course, the speed of the palanquins was… only human.

Wheeled transport vehicles were available only for the Imperial family and the highest aristocrats, but these were even slower than the palanquins: called goshoguruma (gosho refers to the Imperial palace), these were ox drawn carts, but since there was no driver seat, the driver was walking along the oxen…

Here is a representation of such goshoguruma, drawn on a folding screen from the Heian Period, a moment from the famous Tale of Genji displayed at the Kansai Airport.

The Tale of Genji - Rivalry of the Carriages, Folding screen, Kansai Airport, Osaka

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Traditional Japanese clothing, Chocho-musubi knots