ABSTRACT
NOBUNAGA REMOVED THE BARRIERs.-In dealing with Nobunaga, our historians generally touched upon four points: i.e. destruction of the old sources of authority; establishment of the new feudal lords; the wiping out of the soldier monks; and removal of the barriers of many provinces. At the end of the Ashikaga Age the power of the Central Government had collapsed and each lord asserted his independence, fortifying the borders and establishing barriers at every frontier and boundary, both to keep out hostile spies and to tax travelling merchants. Takeda Shingen in Kai Province set up barriers on land and sea at Furuseki, Kurokoma, Ichinoseki, Komaguchi, Narusawa, Funadzu, etc. Uesugi Kenshin in Echigo did the same at Sekigawa. Then there were F uwa barrier in Mino Province, Shirakawa barrier in Ou Province, a barrier in Musashi, and also barriers in Ise and Mino Provinces, to mention only the best known out of a large number. The temples imitated the feudal lords. The Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura set up the barrier at Iwabuchi, Kodzu; the Enkakuji Temple in Kamakura set up the Hakone barrier; the Enryakuji Temple set up a barrier at Otsu, Omi ; the Kofukuji Temple set up Umiseki barrier at Hyogo; the Katori Shrine set up a barrier at Tozaki Gyotoku. By these numerous barriers Japan was divided into many small parts, and communication was very difficult when N obunaga made his appearance and freed the roads by abolishing barriers. This is, of course, his great exploit, but it was not so simple as it sounds. It was something more than the mere removal of barriers; it made trade free.
