Edo Period 1603-1868

TOKUGAWA IEYASU | EDO CASTLE | EDO CITY | NOJO CASTLE | GOVERNMENT | LITERATURE | DRAMA | 47 RONIN | MEIJI RESTORATION

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu (at left) as left as the most powerful man in Japan. In 1600, Ieyasu defeated his rivals in the Battle of Sekigahara and secured himself in control of Eastern Honshu. By 1603, he was named shogun and established his government in Edo (present day Tokyo). He began a dynasty of shoguns from the Tokugawa family that lasted 250 years.One of the ways he tried to control other prominent Japanese was by ordering all the regional lords to destroy any castle they had except the one they lived in. They were also strongly encouraged to learn more than military matters. Although he retired as shogun in 1605 in favor of his son, Hidetada, Hideyoshi continued to serve Japan in other ways. He oversaw the expansion of what would become Edo Castle and the surrounding area (modern day Tokyo) and worked on diplomatic business with the Dutch and Spanish. He also composed the Kuge Shohatto in 1613. This placed limitations on the nobility which were then added to in 1614 and amended in 1635. Later, he issued the Christian Expulsion Edict in 1614. In 1616, one year after defeating Toyotomi Hideyor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son, who had challenged his family's role, he died.

Edo Castle was the place chosen by Tokugawa Ieyasu to become the center of his control. What remains of the castle is pictured at right. Edo Castle is also called Chiyoda Castle. It was build in 1457 by Ota Dokan for the Uesugi clan but did not truly develop until 1590 when Tokugawa Ieyasu settled the region. As the Tokugawa power grew so did Edo Castle and the surrounding city. It became the largest castle in the world. Unfortunately, the original castle was destroyed on January 18 and 19, 1657 when a large fired swept through the city. The Meireki fire destroyed the castle as well as large portions of the city. Through the discovery of plans, Edo-Tokyo Museum has reconstructed a model of what the castle would look like.

The castle had a large chamber where daimyo were granted meetings with the shogun, smaller chambers where messengers were met, and side chambers where business could be conducted. One building on the property of Edo castle was an upper residence built by Matsudira Iyo-no-kami Tadamasa. This too was destroyed in the Great Meireki fire. While most of the buildings were not rebuilt, the traditional moats and walls that surround a castle are still there. Beginning with the Great Meireki Fire in 1657, the castle went through a series of destructive fires in 1844 and 1860 followed by periods of rebuilding in 1659, 1845, and 1861. In 1868, the castle was turned over to Emperor Meiji. This signified the end of the Edo Period and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. The emperor resided in Edo Castle until a new Imperial Palace could be built. Edo Castle was destroyed yet again during the bombing of Tokyo in World War II. Most of the grounds of Edo Castle are now part of the Imperial Palace, but a small portion is open still to the public.

Edo began as a small fishing village. Once the Tokugawa Ieyasu established the city as his center of government, the city grew. The new shogun's city was one of trade. When laying out the city, trade by boat became a central part. To connect the city, a massive bridge called Nihonbashi was constructed in 1603. While the original Nihonbashi no longer stands, it has been replicated to scale in the Edo Museum. Click here to see photos and descriptions of the bridge. The city itself was laid out with row houses. The typical house was only 3 meters (about 10 feet) by 4 meters (about 12 feet). This allowed very little space. An entire family would live in this area very compactly. While this allowed large numbers of people to live together in small spaces, it was a fire hazard. The Great Meireki Fire and later fires would cause the city planners to take measures to make the city fire proof. One way this is done is by creating firebreaks between groups of structures. This prevents the fire from spreading from one section of the city to another. A second method is the development of a fire department. In 1718, the first fire departments were established in Edo. There were 47 units each named after a kana character. Each section of the city had a tower to watch for fire. They fire brigades would use a water soaked staff with dangling material to spread water on fires. Like many large cities, Edo had to provide its residents with water. The Kanda Waterworks brought water from ponds and dammed rivers to Edo.

Nojo Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu for the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns in Kyoto. Because Kyoto was still the capital of Japan, a road from Edo to Kyoto was maintained. Nojo Castle was used by the shoguns when their business would take them to Kyoto. In 1569, Oda Nobunaga began construction of a mansion on the site. Nobunaga's early demise left the property for development. In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu built Nojo as his head quarters in Kyoto. Among the important historical events that took place at the castle are peace talks between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori and the declaration that Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu would return his power to the emperor in 1867. The castle itself does not have the magnitude of protection that other earlier built castles. It was constructed in a time of relative peace. There is an outer wall and moat complete with a tower and guardhouse inside the gate. Inside the outer wall is the Chinese Gate. This leads you into Ninomaru Palace. This palace is the typical warrior's home and would not house the shogun's living quarters. Instead samurai would live in the rooms where officials were received. The floors of the palace are nightingale floors. The floors are constructed in such a way that as you walk, noise similar to a nightingale is given off. The sleeping samurai would then be alerted to any intruder. The interior of Ninomaru Palace cannot be photographed but are covered with sliding screens that are decorated with pines. Just beyond this structure are gardens. In the traditional Japanese style, there is a waterfall and pond. Within the grounds there is another set of gates leading to a higher section of land. This section of land has its own wall and moat. This is where Nojo's donjon was built. The view from the site shows the military advantage the site gives. The donjon was struck by lighting in 1750 and burned to the ground. It was never rebuilt. Also on this section of land is Honmaru Palace. This building was moved there after the donjon burned down.

Government policies during the Edo period favored isolationism and structure. In 1633, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu ended foreign travel and in 1639 limited Japanese trade partners to China and Netherlands and only from Nagasaki. The Europeans including the Russians wanted to establish trade with Japan by the end the 1700's. This isolation did not come to an end until the end of the Edo period. In 1853 and 1854, The American Commodore Matthew Perry forced the government to open a limited number of ports, including Edo for international trade. The Meiji Restoration in 1868, brought an end to the isolation of Japan. Along with foreign trade, foreign books were banned. The government stressed the importance of morals, education and class society. A four class system existed placing samurai on top followed by peasants, artisans and merchants. A filth class made up of people who held unacceptable professions was at the bottom.

During the Edo period, many works of literature were written. This was in part to the increase in literacy and prosperity. More people could read and had the money to spend on books. Consequently, a large book printing industry developed. Several shops opened in the area now known as Minato in Tokyo. The shops would sell novelettes, scholarly books, maps, textbooks and woodcut prints. In 1682, The Life of an Amorous Man (Koshoku ichidai otoko) by Ihara Saikaku was published and received commercial success. Perhaps the most famous literary export during this time period was haiku This is a light verse centered around nature and the lives of ordinary people. The most famous haiku poet was Matshu Basho. He wrote many travel diaries like the 1694 Oku no hosomici ( the Narrow Road to the Deep North) . Perhaps one of the most lasting pieces of literature that came out of this time period is The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) by Miyamoto Musashi. Written in 1645, it details the way of training for the samurai. Musashi lived as ronin in Japan during the late Azuchi-Momoyama Period and the early Edo Period. He witnessed his country go from chaos to unity under three powerful shogun. It includes advice that he was able to make transcend time. The Book of Five Rings is still read by businessmen in Japan to help learn strategy. Although there were a large number of works of literature produced during this time period, there was heavy censorship. The censorship began against Christian books, but expanded in 1722, 1780's and the 1840's. Overtime specific authors and satires were censored.

Drama also enjoyed success during the Edo Period. Playhouses were established and held puppet plays (joruiri) and of course kabuki. The plots of Kabuki plays would often focused on the social class system developed by the Tokugawa shogun ate. Kabuki developed over time and the need for the merchant class to have entertainment. The upper class had supported the Noh Theater and the merchant class wanted something of their own to support. Eventually kabuki attracted members of all classes. The characters that make up kabuki means dance, music, and craft. Kabuki is credited to a shrine dancer named Okuni who began performances in Kyoto in 1603. While kabuki was founded by a female, women performing were forbidden by the Tokugawa shognate in the later Edo Period. The traditional kabuki stage rotates and has many trap doors that allow people to move in and out of stage. The actors wear elaborate costumes and often men would play the role of women. Kabuki theaters needed to be large structures that held large audiences as well as props.

One of the more popular subjects of the kabuki is the story of the 47 Ronin. The story of the 47 ronin begins with a fight between two lords, Lord Kira Hozukenosuke and Asano Takuminokami. In March 1701, after repeatedly being provoked, lord Asano Takuminokami attacked Kira Hozukenosuke but failed to kill him. Asano was ordered to commit seppuku but Kira was not punished. Asano's punishment was beyond death. He and his family were removed from power leaving his samurai without a lord to command them. These forty-seven men felt the need to avenge his unfair punishment. On December 14, 1702, eighteen months of planning came into action. Under the leadership of Oishi Kuranosuke, the group went to Kita's mansion and killed him. They severed his head and took it to Sengakuji where their lord was buried. Later they were ordered to commit seppuku. They are buried (above at left) at Sengakuji with their lord. Click here to see a guide on Buddhist Temples.

As more people became unhappy with the censorship, isolation, and rigid social structure of the Tokugawa shogunate, a call to return to imperial power began. Even conservative members of the samurai class saw the need for trade with western nations. After political pressure, the Tokugawa government fell and the power of Emperor Meiji was restored.On November 9, 1867 at Nojo Castle, Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu ended the Tokugawa Shogunate by resigning as the 15th Tokugawa Shogun. The power of the Emperor Meiji was solidified by the Five Charter Oath in 1868. This ended 1,000 years of a dual government structure in Japan. The Meiji Restoration with its westernization policy. signified the beginning of modern Japan.

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July 2005 Created - | Saturday, February 25, 2006 Last Revised -