| Despite heavy travel between Kamakura and
Kyoto during the medieval age, no standardized highway system existed yet.
Transportation served many different purposes in 16th century Kyoto. On the one
hand, roads, highways and bridges made ideal projects for increasing the efficiency of
troop movement. Another |
|
advantage of increased highway development was the ability to
facilitate higher traffic. By increasing the efficiency of the roadways, Tokugawa
Ieyasu could |
|
increase the number of people
coming into Kyoto, thus expanding his tax base. The location and history of Kyoto made it
an ideal hub for all goods. Not only was it central to the roads toward the other
major Japanese cities, but also it was ideal for sea travel. Relay stations by road
had become little more |
|
than markets and tax
collection bases due to the poor conditions of roads. Water routes were the
preferred mode of travel, especially for merchants carrying cargo. |
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