Station #31: People coming to Arai from Maisaka could only come by sea, making it the second most effective and important sekisho (barrier checkpoint) after Hakone. All travelers were required to show a sekisho tegata or travel permit. These "passports" were purchased from the individual's hometown officials. The government tried to keep commoners and farmers in their villages. But they were reluctant to deny a person's request for a religious pilgrimage. Many adventurers enjoyed the pleasures of travel as "pilgrims." It was an expensive journey. Most villages had a pilgrimage club. Members contributed a few pennies each month to the fund. In the spring, a lottery was held. The lucky winners then used the fund to travel on their pilgrimage, usually to the Grand Shrine at Ise, dedicated to the Shinto Goddess Amaterasu, the grandmother of the first emperor.

Image Copyright: Minneapolis Institute of Art