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  During the Edo period (1603-1868), Shoguns tended to keep feudal lords on a tight leash, requiring them to make bi-annual pilgrimages to the capital in Edo -- now Tokyo -- to swear their allegiance. The road to Edo was called the Tokaido, and on their journeys, the lords were only allowed to stop at government-sanctioned junctures. There were 53 of these authorized rest stops; the town of Arimatsu was number 42.

Photography by Hajime Kimura