Title: Hildreth’s “Japan as it was and is”, Volume II (of 2) A pdf download

Title: Hildreth’s “Japan as it was and is”, Volume II (of 2) A
Handbook of Old Japan Author: Richard Hildreth Editor:
Ernest W. Clement Contributor: W. M. Elliot Griffis
Release Date: December 9, 2021 
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
Title: Hildreth's "Japan as it was and is", Volume II (of 2) A pdf download

In This Book_____________________________
Post-houses—Imperial Messengers—Inns—Houses—
Their Furniture and Interior Arrangements—
Bathing and Sweating House—Gardens—
Refreshment Houses—What they provide—Tea.
O accommodate travellers, there is, in all the chief
villages and hamlets, a post-house, belonging to the
lord of the place, where, at all times, they may find horses,
porters, footmen, etc., in readiness, at certain settled prices.
Travellers, of all ranks and qualities, with their retinues,
resort to these post-houses, which lie at from six to sixteen
English miles distance from each other, but are, generally
speaking, not so good nor so well furnished upon Kiūshiū as
upon the great island Nippon, where we came to fifty-six in
going from Ōsaka to Yedo. These post-houses are not built
for inn-keeping, but only for stabling and exchange of horses,
for which reason there is a spacious court belonging to each;
also clerks and bookkeepers enough, who keep accounts, in
their master’s name, of all the daily occurrences. The price
of all such things as are to be hired at these post-houses is
settled, not only according to distances, but with regard to
the goodness or badness of the roads, to the price of
victuals, forage, and the like. One post-house with another, a
horse to ride on, with two portmantles and an atotsuke, may
be had for eight sen a mile. A horse, which is only saddled,
and hath neither men nor baggage to carry, will cost six sen;
porters and kago-men, five sen, and so on.
“Messengers are waiting, day and night, at all these post-
houses, to carry the letters, edicts, proclamations, etc., of
the emperor and the princes of the empire, which they take
up the moment they are delivered at the post-house, andcarry to the next with all speed. They are kept in a small,
black varnished box, bearing the coat of arms of the emperor
or prince who sends them, which the messenger carries
upon his shoulder, tied to a small staff. Two of these
messengers always run together, that in case any accident
should befall either of them upon the road, the other may
take his place, and deliver the box at the next post-house. All
travellers, even the princes of the empire and their retinues,
must retire out of the way and give a free passage to the
messengers who carry letters or orders from the emperor,
which they take care to signify at a due distance by ringing a
small bell.
“There are inns enough, and tolerable good ones, all along
the road. The best are in those villages where there are post-
houses. At these even princes and princely retinues may be
conveniently lodged, treated suitably to their rank, and
provided with all necessaries. Like other well-built houses,
they are but one story high, or, if there be two stories, the
second is low, and good for little else but stowage. The inns
are not broader in front than other houses, but considerably
deep, sometimes forty ken, or two hundred and forty feet,
with a Tsubo—that is, a small pleasure-garden—behind,
enclosed with a neat white wall. The front hath only lattice
windows, which, in the daytime, are kept open. The folding
screens and movable partitions which divide the several
apartments, unless there be some man of quality with his
retinue at that time lodged there, are also so disposed as to
lay open to travellers, as they go along, a very agreeable
perspective view across the whole house into the garden
behind. The floor is raised about three feet above the level of
the street, and by jetting out, both towards the street and
garden, forms a sort of gallery, which is covered with a roof,
and on which travellers pass their time, diverting themselves
with sitting or walking. From it, also, they mount their horses,
for fear of dirtying their feet by mounting in the street.

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