Travel and transport in the Edo period

The idea

徒歩 means travelling on foot; a 馬 is a horse, a 駕籠 is a palanquin carried by people, and a 船 is a boat. Travellers used different means according to route and circumstances. The sentences use modern polite Japanese.

Examples

• 江戸えど時代じだい、旅人たびびとは徒歩とほで旅たびをしました。In the Edo period, travellers journeyed on foot.
• 馬うまに乗のって町まちへ行いきました。I rode a horse to town.
• 駕籠かごに乗のって道みちを進すすみました。I travelled along the road in a palanquin.
• 川かわを船ふねで渡わたりました。I crossed the river by boat.
• 宿場しゅくばで荷物にもつを馬うまに載のせました。At a post town I loaded luggage onto a horse.
• 次つぎの町まちまで、道みちは長ながかったです。The road to the next town was long.

Watch out

A 駕籠 is not a wheeled vehicle. Do not assume that every traveller could use the same transport on every route.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the Japanese term for “travel on foot”: （徒歩とほ／馬うま）

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   徒歩

   徒歩 means “travel on foot”; 馬 means “horse”.

2. Choose the Japanese term for “horse”: （馬うま／駕籠かご）

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   馬

   馬 means “horse”; 駕籠 means “carried palanquin”.

3. Choose the Japanese term for “carried palanquin”: （駕籠かご／徒歩とほ）

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   駕籠

   駕籠 means “carried palanquin”; 徒歩 means “travel on foot”.

Use it today

Describe an imagined journey using two different means of transport in Japanese.