Tenma

A horse used for official transport at stations and inns along the way. With the Taika Reforms (645), in order to connect the provincial capital with the county offices, official horses called denma were prepared for each county, with five for each county. There were no specific regulations for who could use them, but they were provincial governors, exiles, and sakimori (defence officers), and proof of eligibility to ride them was a denpu. Denma were selected from official horses, but if purchased from a private citizen, they were purchased from the county's rice paddy. In contrast, post horses were horses prepared at stations on various roads and used for riding by post messengers.

Although it declined in the Heian period, denma appeared frequently again in medieval manors. This refers to horses that manor lords and land stewards charged peasants for transportation. During the Sengoku period, the post system was implemented by warlords, especially the Gohojo, Takeda, Uesugi, and Tokugawa clans in the eastern provinces, and wholesalers operated denma businesses in inns. These denma were used to transport military supplies, couriers, and vassals. A set format of bill was issued for the transfer of denma, but gradually it became a specialized one. Namely, the Gohojo clan's tiger seal, the seal with the character "Tsunecho" above a horse, the Takeda clan's red seal with a round dragon, and the seals "denma" and "fune". Tokugawa Ieyasu established the denma system in each inn along the Tokaido in 1601 (Keicho 6) for the transfer of official documents and luggage. Tokugawa Ieyasu used the seal of "Denba no Cho", then the red seal of Komahiki, and from 1607, a red seal with 9 characters "Denba no Soinaku Kaidasurekisha" divided vertically into 3 lines, and in addition to this red seal, there are also cases where it is done by a Goshobun. There are horse workers and pedestrian workers (laborers) for the denma-yaku, and regulations were made for each of the Tokaido and other five main roads.

When denma were used, they were either free or charged a set fee, and in return, inns were given various forms of protection, but they were also allowed to operate as businesses transporting some private goods. As the denma system was for official use, as mentioned above, the transport of general goods took precedence on the highways. Even in the case of samurai, shogunate retainers were given priority. Private transport companies, such as chuma, were established, and means of transport other than denma were used for private purposes. In 1872 (Meiji 5), denma stations and sukego (helper villages) on each highway were abolished.

[Junichiro Fujimura]

"Toyoda Takeshi and Kodama Kota eds., 'Transportation History' ('Systematic Japanese History Series 24', 1970, Yamakawa Publishing)" ▽ "Kodama Kota, 'Research on the Early Modern Post Station System' (1960, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Maruyama Yoshinari, 'Basic Research on Early Modern Post Stations I and II' (1975, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

道中の各駅・宿などに備えて公用輸送にあてた馬。大化改新（645）により国府と郡家を連絡するため、各郡家に伝馬という官馬が用意され、その員数は毎郡各5とされた。利用者は格別の規定はないが国司、流人、防人(さきもり)などであり、乗用資格証明は伝符による。伝馬は官馬から選ぶが、民間から購入する場合には郡稲(ぐんとう)による。これに対し、諸道の駅家に備えて駅使の乗用に供した馬が駅馬である。

　平安時代には衰微したが、中世荘園(しょうえん)でふたたび伝馬が頻出する。これは、荘園領主、地頭が交通上から農民に徴課した馬をさす。戦国時代には戦国大名、とくに東国の後北条(ごほうじょう)、武田、上杉、徳川の諸氏による駅制が実施され、宿では問屋が伝馬営業を行った。この伝馬は、軍需物資の輸送、飛脚、家臣の逓送にあたった。伝馬の継立(つぎたて)には一定書式の手形が発行されたが、しだいに専用のものとなった。すなわち後北条氏の虎(とら)の印判、「常調」の二字の上に馬をあしらった印判、武田氏の丸竜の朱印、「伝馬」「船」の印判がある。徳川家康は1601年（慶長6）に公用の書札、荷物の逓送のため東海道各宿に伝馬制度を設定した。徳川家康は「伝馬之調」の印判、ついで駒牽(こまひき)朱印、1607年から「伝馬無相違(そういなく)　可出(いだすべき)者也」の9字を3行にして縦に二分した朱印を使用し、この御朱印のほかに御証文による場合もある。伝馬役には馬役と歩行(かち)役（人足役）とがあり、東海道およびその他の五街道にもおのおの規定ができた。

　伝馬は使用される際には無賃か、御定(おさだめ)賃銭のため、宿には代償として各種の保護が与えられたが、一部民間物資の輸送も営業として認めた。伝馬制度は前述のとおり公用のためのものであったから、一般物資の輸送は街道では後回しにされた。武士の場合でも幕臣が優先されている。民間の運送業者、たとえば中馬(ちゅうま)などが成立して伝馬以外の手段が私用にあたった。1872年（明治5）に各街道の伝馬所、助郷(すけごう)が廃止された。

［藤村潤一郎］

『豊田武・児玉幸多編『交通史』（『体系日本史叢書24』1970・山川出版社）』▽『児玉幸多著『近世宿駅制度の研究』（1960・吉川弘文館）』▽『丸山雍成著『近世宿駅の基礎的研究　一、二』（1975・吉川弘文館）』

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