Raney+Tokugawa+project

__**Alternate Attendance system in Japan**__
The alternate system was an ingenious law that the tokugawa shogunate made. This system forced the daimyo of 260 some odd domains had to move from their domain to the city of Edo every other year. This was very beneficial for the shogun because it diminished the daimyos wealth and power. In turn this law was also beneficial to the economy of Japan. And then their was an increase in the jobs because of the need for miles and miles of highway. When all of these highways were in place experienced craftsmen, artisans, and workers were needed to build rest stops at intervals on these highways boosting the economy. Another benefit of the alternate attendance system was how it brought the culture and people of Japan into one intergrated society.



The Tokugawa government required daimyo to travel from their domains to Edo every other year to pay tribute to the shogun. The daimyo thus lived in their domains one year, and in Edo the next. Their wives and children were required to stay in Edo. This tactic, known as "alternate attendance,"helped keep the peace and control the daimyo's wealth and power. And becuase the daimyo were never gonig to stay in their domain for over a year they were unlikely to unite with neighboring daimyo against the Tokugawa government. As they traveled the highways, the daimyo processions, often numbering in the hundreds of people, stopped to eat and rest at, teahouses, restaurants, and inns that catered to the travelers. Thus, the daimyo processions helped to foster the growth of local markets and regional foods. They also spread art, souvenirs, and information. The continual movement of daimyo and their attendants for the countryside to Edo required a network of highways and waterways linking the main cities of Edo, Kyotot, and Osaka, as well as smaller cities and towns along the way. The Tokugawa government maintained five major highways. One of these highways, The Tokaido Road linked the ancient capital, Kyoto, with the new capital, Edo.





Another result of the increasing travel throughout the Edo period was the creation of a more linked and integrated culture and society. People who had formerly been isolatted in villaes and small towns had chances to travel and to interact with travelers. People across Japan began to feel their association with other Japanese and to began to recognize similarities in culture.


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