Exploring Japan’s “Sankin Kōtai” System

During the Edo period (1603–1868), the national government, or shogunate, required domain leaders to travel to Edo (now Tokyo) and remain for some time before returning home. Domains spent huge sums on magnificent processions and high-quality accommodation in the city, and it has often been said that this was a deliberate effort by the shogunate at weakening regional power. This series seeks a more complex, complete truth, as well as delving into other episodes and people related to what was known as sankin kōtai (alternate attendance).