The Saikaidō (西海道, "western sea circuit" or "western sea region") is a Japanese geographical term.[1] It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it.[2] Saikaido was one of the main circuits of the Gokishichidō system, which was originally established during the Asuka period.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Saikaido.svg/220px-Saikaido.svg.png)
This name identified the geographic region of Kyūshū and the islands of Tsushima and Iki. It consisted of nine ancient provinces and two islands.[3] The provinces included Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Higo, Hyūga, Satsuma and Ōsumi.
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ Deal, William E. (2005). Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan, p. 83.
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Goki-shichidō" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 255, p. 255, at Google Books.
- ^ Compare Nankaidō, which includes all of Shikoku, is the "southern sea circuit" and Tōkaidō is the "eastern sea circuit", made famous by the wood-block prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige.
References edit
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128