Station (station) - station

Japanese: 駅（宿駅） - えき

...a transportation and communication system in which stations, or facilities for people, horses, and vehicles, were placed at appropriate intervals along roads extending from the center to the outskirts, and travel was conducted by passing between the stations. In pre-modern world history, when centralized states governing vast territories were established, a means of constant communication between the center and the regions was necessary to maintain control, including for immediate response to invasions by foreign enemies or internal rebellions, and various forms of ekiden were generally established as systems.

From 【Post Station】

...A place with facilities to accommodate travelers and provide horses and men for transporting luggage, and was established along major roads in ancient times.
[Ancient and Middle Ages]
Even before the Taika period, the words "station horse" and "station messenger" were used, but their organization is unclear. After the Taika period, the Tenmu Chronicle mentions "station houses" and "station bells," but these are also unclear.

From 【Post Town】

...They developed early on at river mouths and mountain foothills, and in the Heian period, there were many prostitutes in Eguchi, where the Yodo River and the Kanzaki River (Mikuni River or Eguchi River) branched off, and in Kanzaki and Kashima at the river mouth, so that even aristocrats from Kyoto went there for entertainment. The name "shiyuku" (inn) began to be used in the late Heian period, and in the Kamakura period it was used in conjunction with "stations," but gradually the word "shiyuku" became more common. During this period, traffic on the Tokaido road increased, and Ikeda-juku on the west bank of the Tenryu River and Hashimoto-juku on the west bank of Hamana Bridge were bustling. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "station (post station)" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…中央から辺境にのびる道路にそい，適当な間隔で人･馬･車などを常備した施設すなわち駅を置き，駅を伝わって往来する交通･通信の制度。世界史上，前近代に広大な地域を支配する中央集権国家が成立すると，外敵の侵入や国内の反乱に直ちに対処するばあいを含め，支配維持のために中央と地方とを常時連絡する手段が必要となり，さまざまな形態の駅伝が制度として定められるのが一般であった。…

【宿駅】より

…旅客の宿泊所や荷物輸送の人馬などを用意した施設のある所で，古来主要な街道に設けられた。
［古代，中世］
　大化前代にも駅馬，駅使などの語が見えるが，その組織は不明である。大化以後，天武紀には駅家（うまや）や駅鈴のことがあるが，これも不詳である。…

【宿場町】より

…早くから河口，山麓などに発達して，平安時代には淀川と神崎川(三国川または江口川)の分岐点にあった江口（えぐち）や，その河口の神崎（かんざき），蟹島（かしま）などには多数の遊女がいて，京都の貴族らも遊興に赴いたほどであった。宿（しゆく）という名は平安後期から使われ出し，鎌倉時代には駅と併用されているが，しだいに宿が一般的となった。この時代には東海道の通行が多くなり，天竜川西岸の池田宿，浜名橋西畔の橋本宿などは繁華であった。…

※「駅（宿駅）」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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