Keywords
Architecture
Folk Dwellings
A secondary *honjin 本陣, authorized by the Tokugawa 徳川 government for the reception and accommodation of travelers of high social rank staying in an inn town *shukubamachi 宿場町 during the Edo period.
The wakihonjin was used when the honjin was full or otherwise unavailable, often for the accommodation of individuals of high rank in the retinue of the principal guest staying at the honjin. If there was a clash of timetables, visitors of higher status were entitled to use the honjin.
Like the honjin, the wakihonjin usually comprised a *shoin 書院 style reception suite attached to the house of a leading citizen of the town. It was generally slightly smaller and simpler than the honjin.