“Ban-yado” was the waiting place where “Kawagoshi-Ninsoku”(river-crossing workers) usually stayed.
At its peak, there were about 1,000 Kawagoshi-Ninsoku.
For work management purposes, they were divided into ten groups, from Group One to Group Ten.
The waiting places for each group were called "Ban-yado One" through "Ban-yado Ten". Here is “Ban-yado Three”.
Kawagoshi operations were conducted on a rotational basis as a principle.
However, on busy days such as when feudal lords were traveling or on river opening days,
even Kawagoshi-Ninsoku who were off-duty came to work, taking on the task of river crossing all together.
▼For an overview of the history of Kawagoshi (river crossing), please click here.
The history of Kawagoshi