Honjin - Honjin

One of the lodging facilities in the early modern period. It was mainly used by imperial envoys, imperial messengers, imperial princes, head priests, nobles, feudal lords, and bannermen. It is said that it originated in 1363 (Shohei 18, Sadaharu 2) when Ashikaga Yoshiakira went to Kyoto and called the lodging he stayed at a honjin, but it is unlikely that this continued into the early modern period. In the early early modern period, there were no fixed facilities for lords to stay, and the finest houses at post stations were used as lodgings, which gradually came to be called honjin. It is said that palaces and tea houses preceded honjin, and that honjin came into existence when alternate attendance was implemented in 1635 (Kan'ei 12).

Honjin buildings generally had a front entrance, a study, and a gate structure, and some were equipped with mechanisms for escape in case of emergency and for preventing intruders from entering from outside. When a daimyo or other person used a honjin, a checkpoint was brought to the honjin several days in advance, and this was posted one or two days before the stay, and no one was allowed to stay there. When the honjin was closed, a waki-honjin was used. This was similar to the honjin, but also had the characteristics of an inn. Unlike regular inns, honjin could not employ women to serve food, and the number of guests was limited, so although they were protected to a certain extent by the shogunate, they struggled to manage, and they sometimes received assistance from daimyo and others who used them as regular lodgings. However, some daimyo avoided the honjin because of its formality and expense, and stayed at places other than the honjin, which the shogunate issued a ban on. According to a survey conducted in 1843 (Tenpo 14), the number of Honjin along the main roads was 111 on the Tokaido, 72 on the Nakasen-do, and 24 on the Nikko-do. They were abolished by a proclamation from the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 1870 (Meiji 3).

[Mitsumasa Yamamoto]

"A Study of the Post Stations on the Tokaido Road and Their Honjin" by Okuma Yoshikuni (1942, Maruzen)" ▽ "A Study of Honjin" by Oshima Enjiro (1955, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "A Preliminary Study on Early Honjin by Maruyama Yoshinari" (published in Japanese History, No. 205, 1962, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "The Travels of Daimyo, edited by Miyamoto Tsuneichi (1987, Yasaka Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世の宿泊施設の一つ。おもに勅使、院使、宮、門跡(もんぜき)、公家(くげ)、大名、旗本などが宿泊した。起源は、1363年（正平18・貞治2）足利義詮(あしかがよしあきら)が上洛(じょうらく)に際し、その旅宿を本陣と称したのが始まりというが、これが近世にまで続いたとは考えにくい。近世初期には大名らの宿泊する施設は一定せず、宿駅の上等の家屋が宿舎にあてられ、それがしだいに本陣と称されるに至ったといわれ、本陣に先行するものとして御殿や御茶屋があり、1635年（寛永12）の参勤交代実施に伴い本陣が存在するようになったともいわれる。

　本陣の建物は玄関、書院、門構(もんがまえ)を備えているのが一般的で、非常時の逃走の細工や、外部からの侵入者を防止する設備が設けられている場合もあった。大名など本陣の利用に際しては数日前に関札(せきふだ)が本陣に運ばれ、止宿一両日前にはこれが掲示され、他者の宿泊はできなくなった。本陣があいていないときは脇(わき)本陣を利用した。これは本陣に準じるが、旅籠(はたご)屋の性格をも有した。本陣は一般の旅籠と異なり飯盛女(めしもりおんな)を置くこともできず、宿泊者も限定されていたため、ある程度幕府の保護はあったが経営は苦しく、定宿としている諸大名などから援助を受けることもあった。しかし諸大名のなかには、格式ばり、費用のかかる本陣を敬遠して本陣以外に休泊する者もあり、幕府は禁令を出している。主要街道の本陣数は、1843年（天保14）の調査によると、東海道が111、中山(なかせん)道が72、日光道中が24となっている。1870年（明治3）民部省布告により廃止された。

［山本光正］

『大熊喜邦著『東海道宿駅と其の本陣の研究』（1942・丸善）』▽『大島延次郎著『本陣の研究』（1955・吉川弘文館）』▽『丸山雍成「初期本陣に関する一試論」（『日本歴史』205号所収・1962・吉川弘文館）』▽『宮本常一編著『大名の旅』（1987・八坂書房）』

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