Abstract |
With the economic growth of peasantry in the Edo age, the volume of traffic and the number of pilgrims increased rapidly. But the difficulties in pilgrimage were not so much as they had been in the me...diaval age. While the difficulties in the mediaval age were chiefly social or economic (bandits, pirates, and customs duties), those in the Edo age were political (feudal regulations). This transmutation of the character of the difficulties shows the results of the evolution in the feudal system from the mediaval to the Edo age. Considering the interference with the agricultural work, the waste in peasants' life, and the outflow of money to the other domains, feudal lords made an attempt to restrict the long journey for pilgrimage among the common people, especially among the peasantry. But this oppressive polioy could hardly succeed because of the eager desire of the common people. Thus the number of pilgrims increased enomously.show more
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