In the 17th century of Japan, the inter-city freight transport system using coastal ship was already developed for supplying commodities to the capital city of Edo (Old Tokyo). This study tries to clarify the necessity and procedure for coastal ship route development from the viewpoint of the logistics system. It also tires to confirm that coastal ship route development was introduced not only for creating traffic route but also for establishing the trading system. Thus, inter-city transport was popularized in Japan after the development of the coastal ship route. As a result of this development, the commercial trade area expanded and the institution of feudal (Busi-dominated) society started to change.
