In 1601 Ieyasu TOKUGAWA began to maintain 5 routes (described as follows) connecting Edo to various places to rule all over Japan, and in the time of the 4th Shogun, Ietsuna TOKUGAWA these routes were defined as main routes.
慶長6年（1601年）に徳川家康が全国支配のために江戸と各地を結ぶ以下の5つの街道を整備し始め、四代将軍徳川家綱の代になって基幹街道に定められた。