In the beginning of the Edo period, when the administrative capital was transferred to Edo (Tokyo), the Tokaido was regarded as one of the five major highways and thus became the most important route linking Kyoto and Edo.
江戸時代になり、事実上の首都が江戸に移ると、東海道は五街道の一つとされ、京都と江戸を結ぶ、日本の中で最も重要な街道となった。