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Constantine Nomikos Vaporis
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Breaking Barriers: Travel and the State in Early Modern Japan (Harvard East Asian Monographs) Hardcover – May 6, 1995

4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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Travel in Tokugawa Japan was officially controlled by bakufu and domainal authorities via an elaborate system of barriers, or sekisho, and travel permits; commoners, however, found ways to circumvent these barriers, frequently ignoring the laws designed to control their mobility. In this study, Constantine Vaporis challenges the notion that this system of travel regulations prevented widespread travel, maintaining instead that a “culture of movement” in Japan developed in the Tokugawa era.

Using a combination of governmental documentation and travel literature, diaries, and wood-block prints, Vaporis examines the development of travel as recreation; he discusses the impact of pilgrimage and the institutionalization of alms-giving on the freedom of movement commoners enjoyed. By the end of the Tokugawa era, the popular nature of travel and a sophisticated system of roads were well established. Vaporis explores the reluctance of the bakufu to enforce its travel laws, and in doing so, beautifully evokes the character of the journey through Tokugawa Japan.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    402 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Asia Center
  4. Publication date
    May 6, 1995
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674081072
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674081079
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Vaporis’s] superbly documented study is distinguished by the rich texture of his narrative, which draws not only on official documents but also in innovative ways on travel diaries and guides, travel literature and even woodblock prints. Indeed, as a monograph on domestic travel and transport in seventeenth and eighteenth-century Japan, this book is excellent. Vaporis makes an exceptionally important contribution to our understanding of one of the most intriguing and understudied aspects of Tokugawa society.”―Peter Nosco, American Historical Review

“This well-researched account of the development of long-distance recreational travel throws some interesting new light upon one of the more neglected aspects of Japanese social history. By drawing upon a wide range of evidence―official reports, travellers’ diaries and journals, European eye-witness accounts, contemporary maps, wood-block prints and tourist guide-books―the author shows that the Tokugawa period, far from being static or inert, experienced a number of dynamic socio-cultural changes… This scholarly work, which is well-served by numerous maps, statistical tables and contemporary illustrations by various ukiyoe masters such as Hiroshige and Toyokuni, will be of considerable interest to all students of Japanese social history as well as to the wider community.”―T. L. Richardson, Asian Affairs

“Constantine Vaporis makes an important contribution to the study of Edo period travel, especially that undertaken by commoners, by examining the social realities of bakufu legal restrictions regarding the movement of people along the state-controlled Gokaido travel network.”―Lane Earns, Journal of Asian Studies

“This detailed study is…informative and highly readable. It thus serves both as a starting point for further analysis and as a useful source of information for those interested in the comparative history of transport.”―Janet Hunter, Journal of Transport History

“This [is a] fascinating book.”―Hugh Cortazzi, The Japan Society

From the Back Cover

Travel in Tokugawa Japan was officially controlled by bakufu and domainal authorities via an elaborate system of barriers, or sekisho, and travel permits; commoners, however, found ways to circumvent these barriers, frequently ignoring the laws designed to control their mobility. In this study, Constantine Vaporis challenges the notion that this system of travel regulations prevented widespread travel, maintaining instead that a "culture of movement" in Japan developed in the Tokugawa era. Using a combination of governmental documentation and travel literature, diaries, and wood-block prints, Vaporis examines the development of travel as recreation; he discusses the impact of pilgrimage and the institutionalization of alms-giving on the freedom of movement commoners enjoyed. By the end of the Tokugawa era, the popular nature of travel and a sophisticated system of roads were well established: Vaporis explores the reluctance of the bakufu to enforce its travel laws, and in doing so, beautifully evokes the character of the journey through Tokugawa Japan.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Asia Center (May 6, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674081072
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674081079
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.57 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

About the author

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Constantine Nomikos Vaporis

Constantine Nomikos Vaporis

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Constantine Nomikos Vaporis is a professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he teaches Japanese and East Asian history. He has received prestigious research fellowships in Japanese history, including a Fulbright Scholar's Award, an NEH grant, and a membership at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. His books include BREAKING BARRIERS: TRAVEL AND THE STATE IN EARLY MODERN JAPAN, TOUR OF DUTY: SAMURAI, MILITARY SERVICE IN EDO AND THE CULTURE OF EARLY MODERN JAPAN. He recently collaborated with Ted-Ed to produce an animation about samurai entitled, "A Day in the Life of a Teenage Samurai." It is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy0mU-SbOrw or https://www.ted.com/talks/constantine_n_vaporis_a_day_in_the_life_of_a_teenage_samurai?language=en

Recently (January 1, 2023) he appeared in a Japanese documentary on NHK (Japan's public broadcast network) called "Tokugawa Japan Summit 2023." His forthcoming book is a collection of biographies of samurai entitled SAMURAI--STORIES OF WARRIORS IN AN AGE OF PEACE.

For the author's personal webpage, please go to: https://www.constantinenomikosvaporis.com/

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dr. Nita E
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2017
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Book is in Great shape👍🏾
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John L. Piper
4.0 out of 5 stars Edo period travel
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2011
Firstly a couple of negative comments; a slightly expensive book and printed on what feels to be cheap paper stock allowing a little 'bleed' of the print.
Everything else is positive - after reading the authors excellent "Tour of Duty" I decided to treat myself to this book as a Christmas present, it appears to be the only work in English describing and discussing the 'barrier' structure of Edo period road travel and does so very thoroughly. The subject actually was much more involved than I had dreamt of especially the detailed regulations concerning travel by women, it must have been a nightmare for the fair sex to travel during this time period. Anyone who enjoys Japanese jidai cinema will find this book allows a better understanding of the historical background of many period films and it also opened my eyes to just how much the common people actually travelled being brought up with the notion that people rarely travelled far from their home area. Worth a place on any enthusiasts bookshelf despite its hefty price tag
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