奥州街道
"Kaidō" figure prominently in Japanese culture. The poet Matsuo Bashō memorialized his travels along the Ōshū Kaidō (and elsewhere) in the book "Oku no Hosomichi". A set of woodblock prints by Hiroshige forms a travelogue of the Tōkaidō. Daimyō, making the required "sankin-kōtai" trip between their "han" and Edo, also traveled along the "kaidō" and stayed at post stations. Some woodblock prints show their stately processions. The Bunraku play "Kanadehon Chūshingura", the fictionalized account of the true story of the Forty-seven Ronin, has several scenes set along various "kaidō".