Jul 3, 2026 · 18 min · 11 segments
Think renting a horse in the Edo period was a romantic luxury? Think again! Join your **Edo Storyteller** as we uncover the gritty reality behind the beautifully paved Gokaido roads. Discover the…
Edo StorytellerHost
Since it was for the shogunate's official needs who fed these horses and people, this is where it gets cruel.
Laters, our cargo left Edo were unloaded at the first station, and a completely different set of horses and men were swapped in to deliver them to the next station.
To keep this relay running, the shogunate ordered that the villagers at each post station must keep a specific number of horses, usually 36 to 100, and the laborers on standby at all times.
one horse had to be paired with one person so when you rented a horse a horseman usually accompanied it to prevent the horse from being stolen For the local residents, this was actually a brutally heavy task.
As long as an official gave the order, you had to provide people and horses to help them move or deliver mail.
and usually the pay was incredibly low and even non-existent because this was considered an obligation.
So, while we look back at these historic post towns and think they are full of romantic atmosphere, to the residents at the time, they were a heavy burden full of sweat, tears, and helplessness.
Since it was for the shogunate's official needs who fed these horses and people, this is where it gets cruel.
Laters, our cargo left Edo were unloaded at the first station, and a completely different set of horses and men were swapped in to deliver them to the next station.
To keep this relay running, the shogunate ordered that the villagers at each post station must keep a specific number of horses, usually 36 to 100, and the laborers on standby at all times.
one horse had to be paired with one person so when you rented a horse a horseman usually accompanied it to prevent the horse from being stolen For the local residents, this was actually a brutally heavy task.
As long as an official gave the order, you had to provide people and horses to help them move or deliver mail.
and usually the pay was incredibly low and even non-existent because this was considered an obligation.
So, while we look back at these historic post towns and think they are full of romantic atmosphere, to the residents at the time, they were a heavy burden full of sweat, tears, and helplessness.
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