Trade relation between Osaka/Kyoto and Edo and the castletowens along and on the periphery of the Tokaido road, on the one hand, and between Osaka/kyoto and the domains (han), on the other,brought about the need for and consequent rapid development of a more efficient and economical system of transportation and communication by land and by sea. The responsibility for providing the necessary modes and mechanisms to facilitate the dynamic-expansion of trade and commerce and to provide the essential market and monetary network, of course, fell upon the shoulders of the merchants and artisans/craftsmen because they were equipped to accomplish such purposes.
It was beneath the dignity of the samurai to be connected in any way with matters related to trade or commerce. The reluctance of the samurai to engage in commercial matters resulted in great benefits to both the merchants and artisans/craftsmen, as well as the peasant-farmers to the decided detriment of themselves. Both the merchants and, to a lesser extent, the peasant-farmers eventually passed the samurai class by substantial proportions in wealth and economic power. The merchants were too adroit to engage in thwarting the Bakufu system. It was to their advantage to work within the system and use it to engage in mercantile and money lending activities. And that is what they did. The artisans/craftsmen also received substantial economic benefits from the concomitant circumstances of the increased building and construction activities in Edo, the castletowns and other major cities, as well as construction of and along the Tokaido road other routes of travel by land by sea. The merchantsn prevailed over the samurai because the transformation from an agricultural/rice economy to a mercantile/money economy during the Edo Period was brought about and natured by tokugawa law, howere inadvertent and unintended.