
What is the sankin Tokai system?
Sankin kōtai. Written By: Sankin kōtai, system inaugurated in 1635 in Japan by the Tokugawa shogun (hereditary military dictator) Iemitsu by which the great feudal lords (daimyo) had to reside several months each year in the Tokugawa capital at Edo (modern Tokyo).
What is the sankin Tokugawa system?
Sankin kōtai, system inaugurated in 1635 in Japan by the Tokugawa shogun (hereditary military dictator) Iemitsu by which the great feudal lords (daimyo) had to reside several months each year in the Tokugawa capital at Edo (modern Tokyo). When the lords returned to their fiefs, they were required to leave their wives and families in Edo.
What does sankin-kōtai mean?
"En masse Attendance of Daimyo at Edo Castle on a Festive Day" from the Tokugawa Seiseiroku, National Museum of Japanese History Sankin-kōtai ( Japanese: 参覲交代/参覲交替, now commonly written as 参勤交代/参勤交替, 'alternate attendance') was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. [1]
What was the alternate attendance system (sankin-kotai)?
Updated March 03, 2019. The alternate attendance system, or sankin-kotai, was a Tokugawa Shogunate policy that required daimyo (or provincial lords) to divide their time between the capital of their own domain and the shogun's capital city of Edo (Tokyo).

What did the sankin kotai do?
Sankin-kōtai (Japanese: 参覲交代/参覲交替, now commonly written as 参勤交代/参勤交替, 'alternate attendance') was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. The purpose was to strengthen central control over the daimyōs (major feudal lords).
What was the benefit of Tokugawa alternate attendance system?
The alternate attendance system also provided entertainment for the common people. The daimyos' yearly processions back and forth to the shogun's capital were festive occasions, and everyone turned out to watch them pass. After all, everybody loves a parade. Alternate attendance worked well for the Tokugawa Shogunate.
How did the Tokugawas change Japan?
Tokugawa Ieyasu's dynasty of shoguns presided over 250 years of peace and prosperity in Japan, including the rise of a new merchant class and increasing urbanization. They also closed off Japanese society to Western influences.
How did the bakufu system benefit the daimyo?
The Bakufu (central government) had absolute political power over the fate of hans (local governments) and could even remove or abolish them. It was a feudal society in the sense that the shogun gave daimyos the land to rule. In return, daimyos pledged loyalty to shogun.
How did the Tokugawa policy of isolation impact Japan?
The policy of seclusion or 'Sakoku' (鎖国 lit. Chained/locked country) was enacted by the Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu from 1633 and meant that most Japanese couldn't leave, and foreigners couldn't enter Japan (without the approval of the authorities) under – the threat and the threat of execution.
What was the effect of the Tokugawa changes on social mobility?
The Tokugawa period was marked by internal peace, political stability, and economic growth. Social order was officially frozen, and mobility between classes (warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) was forbidden. The samurai warrior class came to be a bureaucratic order in this time of lessened conflict.
How did the Tokugawas unite Japan and what was the effect on the economy?
The Tokugawas centralized power and forced the daimyos to obey, and thus united Japan politically. The period of peace enabled the development of agriculture, trade, economy, and rapid population growth.
Why did the Tokugawas purposely isolate Japan?
1 Answer. The Tokugawa Shogunate was concerned over the rise of Christianity and other Western influences brought by the Portuguese Trade. The Shogun isolated Japan from Western but not Eastern trade.
What happened when the shogun's power weakened?
For almost 700 years after that, Japan was ruled mainly by a succession of shoguns, whose titles were usually passed on from father to son. Sometimes the shogun's family would become weak, and a rebel leader would seize power from them, after which he would be named shogun and would start a new ruling family.
What is the importance of bakufu?
The significance of the bakufu or shoguns is that they were the military dictators who ruled over Japan during the years 1192 to 1868.
Why was the bakufu important?
The bakufu was the military government of Japan between 1192 and 1868, headed by the shogun. Prior to 1192, the bakufu—also known as shogonate—was responsible only for warfare and policing and was firmly subordinate to the imperial court.
What policy did the bakufu in Japan adopt?
As silver and copper mines in Asia became exhausted during the eighteenth century, what policy did the bakufu in Japan adopt? A more closed policy that encouraged the domestic production of goods that had been previously imported.
What was alternative attendance during the Tokugawa period in Japan?
It simply meant that every daimyo from every one of these two-hundred sixty odd domains had to live every other year in the capital city of Edo and to leave permanently his main life and his heir, that is the future daimyo, living permanently in the city.
What purpose does the alternate residence system serve?
Alternate residence duty, or sankin kotai, was a system developed in the Warring States period and perfected by the Tokugawa shogunate. In essence, the system demanded simply that daimyo reside in the Tokugawa castle at Edo for periods of time, alternating with residence at the daimyo's own castle.
What were the benefits of Japan's isolation?
The Isolation of Japan helped their economy. Their economy was not affected by outside influence and so they made their own type of society which developed a stable and peaceful economy.
What effect did alternate attendance have on the daimyo?
Through the alternate attendance system, these leaders were required to keep their families in Edo, forcing them to commute between their domain and the capital. This system weakened the power of the daimyo. Created by the daimyō to act as a capital for each fief.
How long did the Tokugawa Shogun rule?
During its entire reign of more than 250 years, no Tokugawa shogun faced an uprising by any of the daimyo. The system remained in force until 1862, just six years before the shogun fell in the Meiji Restoration.
What was the first sankin-kotai law?
Actually, the first sankin-kotai law applied only to what were known as the tozama or "outside" daimyo. These were lords who did not join the Tokugawa side until after the Battle of Sekigahara (Oct. 21, 1600), which cemented Tokugawa power in Japan. Many of the lords from distant, large, and powerful domains were among the tozama daimyo, so they were the shogun's first priority to control.
Why did the Shoguns impose a burden on the Daimyo?
The shoguns' stated reason for imposing this burden on the daimyo was that it was necessary for national defense. Each daimyo had to supply a certain number of samurai, calculated according to the wealth of his domain, and bring them to the capital for military service every second year. However, the shoguns actually enacted this measure to keep the daimyo busy and to impose hefty expenses on them, so that the lords would not have the time and money to start wars. Alternate attendance was an effective tool to prevent Japan from slipping back into the chaos that characterized the Sengoku Period (1467 - 1598).
What was the name of the clan that was allied with the Tokugawas?
In 1642, however, sankin-kotai was also extended to the fudai daimyo, those whose clans had been allied with the Tokugawas even before Sekigahara. A past history of loyalty was no guarantee of continued good behavior, so the fudai daimyo had to pack their bags as well.
Where has Kallie Szczepanski taught?
She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. our editorial process. Kallie Szczepanski. Updated March 03, 2019. The alternate attendance system, or sankin-kotai, was a Tokugawa Shogunate policy that required daimyo (or provincial lords) to divide their time between the capital of their own domain and ...
What was the name of the hotel that was built to house the Daimyo?
A new kind of hotel or guesthouse sprang up along the kaido, known as honjin, and built specifically to house the daimyo and their retinues as they traveled to and from the capital. The alternate attendance system also provided entertainment for the common people.
Why did the Lords need good roads?
Because the lords and their large numbers of followers had to travel so often, they needed good roads. A system of well-maintained highways grew across the entire country, as a result. The main roads to each province were known as the kaido .
What was the most highly populated capital in the world during the Edo period?
Edo , therefore, was the most highly populated capital in the world during that period. In Edo , the daimyo's estates contained spaces for doing research and for editing and compiling manuscripts. The daimyo themselves wrote manuscripts while their retainers often conducted much of the research.
What was the population of Edo in 1801?
A census taken in 1801 showed the population of London, then the largest capital in Europe, to be around 860, 000. Edo, therefore, was the most highly populated capital in the world during that period.
How many Daimyo were there in Japan?
From the time Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in 1603, he and his progeny ruled Japan until 1867. Among the shogun's vassals were about 260 daimyo (territorial lords). As a token of their submission to the shogunate, the daimyo were required to leave their wives and children permanently in Edo (now Tokyo) and to alternate their own residence between Edo and their domains. Their family were detained in Edo to prevent the daimyo from rebelling against the shogunate, which wielded great power over them: It could reduce the size of their domains; move them to another domain; or even execute them.
What did the Daimyo do?
To perform their obligations under the sankin kotai system, the daimyo had to maintain residential estates ( yashiki) in Edo, which housed their families and a number of their retainers. Besides the daimyo, direct samurai retainers of the shogunate, called hatamoto and gokenin, also resided in Edo. These samurai and their families ...
Why were the Daimyo detained?
Their family were detained in Edo to prevent the daimyo from rebelling against the shogunate, which wielded great power over them: It could reduce the size of their domains; move them to another domain; or even execute them.
What was the result of the Sankin Kotai System?
The development of transportation networks - the result of the Sankin Kotai System - led to the growth in size and wealth of Edo, which became the largest city in the world by the 18th century
What decree did Daimyo have to make in Han?
The shogun decreed that daimyo must build a castle in his han and that samurai must live their rather than in their villages
What is adopted primogeniture?
Adopted primogeniture - inheritance goes only to eldest son (so extra children was bad for family income), marriage limits (priesthood was an outlet), and infanticide
Why did the social structure crumble?
Social structure crumbles because the merchants, artisans, and farmers become richer and richer, while the samurai become relatively poorer (the samurai end up the "losers" in this new economic era)
How much growth did preindustrial civilization have?
Robust growth (approximately 1% per year - great for preindustrial civilization) due mainly to sustained peace
Why did the Samurai stay in castles?
Samurai had to stay in castles, so they couldn't monitor the farmers, allowing peasants to lie, revolt, or move to new han
When did the Bakufu arrive in Edo Bay?
Arrived in 1853 in Edo Bay with 4 warships, hands over letter from President Fillmore demanding trade and makes the Bakufu seem weak by consulting with all daimyo
How long did the Edo period last?
Over the more than 250 years of the Edo period, the sankin kōtai system underwent several reforms. The most significant came in 1722, when Tokugawa Yoshimune divided the domains into four groups, reducing the time spent in Edo to 6 months compared with 18 months in home territory. This measure reduced the burden on domain finances.
What is the first return home after the increase to 100,000 koku?
Jūman-goku gokazō-go hatsu-gonyūkoku otomo tate no zu (The First Return Home After the Increase to 100,000 Koku) shows the procession back home from Edo after the Tsuyama domain had its income increased by 50,000 koku to 100,000. The domain leader in the litter was Matsudaira Naritaka. (Courtesy Tsuyama City Museum)
What was the purpose of Edo Castle?
When Tokugawa Ieyasu established the long-lasting shogunate that would bear his house name in 1603, he designated Edo Castle as a place for issuing official orders and for audiences with vassals. Becoming Official.
What was the Edo period?
العربية. Русский. A New Custom for a Peaceful Era. During the Edo period (1603–1868), Japan was divided into around 300 domains. Their wealth was measured in koku, a unit equivalent to around 150 kilograms of rice. Those domain leaders with control over territory that produced 10,000 koku or more, as granted by the shogunate, were known as daimyō.
When did samurai come to Japan?
Samurai from domains across Japan regularly traveled to Edo and stayed in the city under the sankin kōtai system in the Edo period (1603–1868) . An overview of the system that governed much of life for the ruling class for hundreds of years. During the Edo period (1603–1868), Japan was divided into around 300 domains.
How long did the Satake clan spend in Edo?
The clan faithfully spent six months each year on attending the shōgun, and other domains likely did much the same. From around 1618, this changed to a pattern ...
How long did it take to walk to Edo?
With men and armaments prepared, the group would take several days to walk to Edo—or it could be a number of weeks from the more distant domains. It must have required huge financial outlays, given the cost of accommodation for large parties along the way and in Edo.

Overview
Sankin-kōtai (Japanese: 参覲交代/参覲交替, now commonly written as 参勤交代/参勤交替, 'alternate attendance') was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. The purpose was to strengthen central control over the daimyōs (major feudal lords). It required feudal lords, daimyō, to alternate living for a year in their domain and in Edo, the capital.
History
Toyotomi Hideyoshi had earlier established a similar practice of requiring his feudal lords to keep their wives and heirs at Osaka Castle or the nearby vicinity as hostages to ensure their loyalty. Following the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this practice was continued at the new capital of Edo as a matter of custom. It was made compulsory for the tozama daimyōs in 1635, and for the fudai daimyōs from 1642. Aside from an eight-year pe…
Description
The details changed throughout the 26 decades of Tokugawa rule, but generally, the requirement was that the daimyōs of every han move periodically between Edo and his fief, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages while he was away. The expenditures necessary to maintain lavish residences in both places, and for t…
Similar practices
King Louis XIV of France instituted a similar practice upon the completion of his palace at Versailles, requiring the French nobility, particularly the ancient Noblesse d'épée ("nobility of the sword") to spend six months of each year at the palace, for reasons similar to those of the Japanese shōguns. The nobles were expected to assist the king in his daily duties and state and personal functions, including meals, parties, and, for the privileged, rising from and getting into bed, …
Further reading
• Jansen, Marius B. (2000). The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674003347; OCLC 44090600
• Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6
• Constantine Nomikos Vaporis (2008). Tour of Duty: Samurai, Military Service in Edo, and the Culture of Early Modern Japan. Univ of Hawaii. ISBN 978-0824834708
External links
Media related to Sankin kōtai at Wikimedia Commons