History Historian of Edo running traditions finds his stride

[thomas]

Oba Katsunori, 61, a private researcher who draws on the techniques of Edo-period "hikyaku" couriers, has become anonline sensation. The couriers, active between 1603 and 1867, were said to cover the roughly 500-kilometre route between Tokyo and Kyoto in three days. He has spent at least a decade studying the running style. He began posting instructional videos in autumn 2024 to share his findings more widely.

​

In the clips, Oba appears in a navy samue, a traditional work outfit, and waraji straw sandals. He leans forward and moves in short strides, demonstrating what he describes as a long-forgotten technique. Oba lives in Tochigi Prefecture. The videos spread quickly. They have drawn more than 270 million views, and their Instagram following has risen from about 200 to 150,000.

The Edo Period–running style is generally called "Namba-bashiri" (ナンバ走り／なんば走り), characterised by moving the arm and leg on the same side of the body at the same time. Oba observed subtle differences in body movement and developed his own variation, which his followers call "Edo-bashiri" (江戸走り). "Edo-bashiri" ranked first on a list of buzzwords among female junior and senior high school students in the BeReal category at the 2025 JC JK Buzzword Award event, according to AMF Inc., the event's organiser and a market research company targeting teenagers. In his videos, Oba demonstrates his techniques with lively music playing in the background. One method is known as "hiza-nuki" (膝抜き), which allows him to turn in just 0.6 seconds by relaxing his knees. Another technique, described as "running like a ninja" (忍者のように走る), involves taking 288 steps in one minute before shifting into a sideways scurry by angling his body diagonally.

Researcher of Edo-Period running styles finds his stride | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

​

 

[Ukigumo]

Together with 'namba walking', this has to be one of the silliest, most illogical modification to human mobilising there's ever been! When Olympic athletes, who invest millions of pounds in sports science to make them better runners/walkers etc, adopt this style of moving then we might need to take it seriously!

 

[thomas]

Yet, these techniques were used throughout the Edo period , allowing couriers to cover the 500 kilometres between Edo and Kyoto in just 3 days.

 

[Majestic]

Just to clarify, there were 57 stations between Osaka and Edo, with each station being covered by one courier. Average distance was around 10km or roughly 6 miles.

And considering the roads, the footwear, the lack of labor standards, my guess is that the churn rate for people in this line of work was pretty high.

 

[thomas]

Thanks for the clarification! I should have mentioned that the 500 kilometres were covered in relays.

 

[Ukigumo]

Just to clarify, there were 57 stations between Osaka and Edo, with each station being covered by one courier. Average distance was around 10km or roughly 6 miles.

Six miles? I could hop on one leg for six miles! I could do John Cleese's silly walk for six miles!
That's actually an interesting fact!

And considering the roads, the footwear, the lack of labor standards, my guess is that the churn rate for people in this line of work was pretty high.

A Roman legionary typically marched 20 Roman miles (18.5-20miles) in a single day. This standard march was performed in roughly 5 to 7 hours while carrying full equipment (roughly 20--30kg), followed by constructing a fortified camp. Faster 'forced' marches could cover up to 25–30 miles. I'm pretty certain they used 'standard' locomotion styles!