The ancient governments of Japan, under the Ritsuryo Legal Code, developed
public roads linking the capital cities, Nara and later Kyoto, with local provinces.
The governments also provided rest stations for travellers in the main centers of
local states along the public roads. People in those days relied on the Sanyo
Road for their transportation as the only major road connecting the capital and
Dazaifu (in Fukuoka Prefecture), an important government organ in charge of
diplomacy and security. At each station, the governments built an ekiko (station
house), hayuma (horse house) and ekiden (agency to raise money necessary to
run the facilities of the stations).
 Following are names of rest stations along the old Sanyo Road in Hiroshima
Prefecture: Kannabe - Fukuyama - Mitsugi - Mihara - Hongo - Takehara -
Higashi Hiroshima - Seno - Numata - Hatsukaichi - Ono - Otake.
 After the medieval era, the new Sanyo Road ran closer to the coastline of the
Inland Sea replacing the old Sanyo Road.
 In the early modern era, the Sanyo Road was often called Saikoku Kaido (a
road running through western provinces). Each rest station for travellers was
built with a main building, sub-buildings and lodging facilities. Milestones were
put along the road indicating the distance every four kilometers. The present
Route 2 roughly traces the Sanyo Road.