In the Edo period, the means of transportation were walking with your own feet, riding a basket, or riding a horse.
When asked which of these modes of transportation is the fastest, most people would say horses. However, when considering carrying a person and traveling a long distance, it seems that the horse was not simply faster than the Kago.
The reason why Kago is faster than horses
It is said that the messenger of Chushingura, who reported the wounds on the Tonaka blade by Takumi Asano, used a basket to travel 620km from Edo to Ako in just four and a half days. In terms of time, it is 108 hours, and the speed when running day and night is about 6 km / h.
By the way, the average speed of marathon runners is about 20 km / h. Thoroughbred horse racing is said to be over 60 km / h.
When I hear that the speed is 6 km / h, it seems that horses are faster than Kago.
So why was Kago faster than Hayauma, as the title suggests?
Hayauma's restrictions
In fact, in the case of Hayauma, there were various restrictions for movement.
Edo period horses
First of all, the horse was not a long-legged horse like a thoroughbred as it is today. The traditional Japanese horses at that time were chunky short-legged horses , not to mention donkeys. was. Of course, you can't run as fast as a thoroughbred.
Even if you run a thoroughbred, it is only for running the distance of the racetrack, so it will not be the case if you run a long distance of 100 km or more.
I can't run a horse at night
The early horses of the Edo period had to run a distance of 20 to 30 kilometers between the post stations.
It is said that the speed is about 15 km / h because it runs with people for that distance.
Still, isn't it faster than the early Kago? However, in the case of horses, I couldn't keep running day and night.
The reason is the night light.
The road at night in the Edo period is natural, but there are no street lights, and the moonlight is the only news.
In Kago, you can put a lantern on the leading one to get the light, but it is not so with a horse. Horses cannot run in total darkness.
In that case, the use of horses will be during the bright day.
It's not easy to ride a horse
Another reason is the problem of the human being riding.
The person carrying the kago and the horse can be changed at each post, but we do not hear the change of the person using it. You can take a nap or eat in the basket even if you are on the move, but not with a horse.
As you can see, people who have been riding horses will continue to receive a considerable amount of shock while riding, and in some cases, the physical strength of a person will be considerably exhausted rather than riding with a middle waist. increase.
Kagoya Relay in Shukuba Town
With that in mind, it is thought that the travel time using Hayauma is at most about 10 hours. In that respect, it was possible to run with some force with the early Kago.
Kago personnel were always on standby around the post towns of this era, and relays for each post were carried out smoothly. However, the horses used for Hayauma were not always available in each post town. It seems that there were times when we couldn't arrange horses and lost time at the post station.
Due to such circumstances, considering that it is a means of long-distance transportation, it cannot be simply said that Hayauma is faster than Haya Kago. If the horses and riders change from post to post instead of moving the same person, Hayauma may be more likely to reach the destination faster.
Also, if you just want to convey information, you will be surprised that if you use Hikyaku, you can travel 570km between Edo and Osaka in just two days. However, the price was surprisingly high, and it cost up to 1.4 million yen at the current price.