Edoperiod

Edoperiod, also known as the Edo period or Tokugawa period, covers 1603 to 1868 in Japanese history. It began when Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate after Sekigahara, relocating the political capital to Edo (present-day Tokyo). The era is noted for long peace, political stability, and a rigid social order.

The shogunate exercised centralized feudal rule within the bakuhan system. The policy of sankin-kotai required daimyo to alternate residence between their domains and Edo, strengthening control over the feudal lords. A four-class hierarchy placed samurai at the top, then peasants, artisans, and merchants. The era pursued sakoku, or national seclusion, restricting foreign contact except for limited Dutch and Chinese trade at Nagasaki and suppressing Christian activity.

Economically, the period saw urban growth and a cash-based economy, with merchants gaining influence in finance and culture. Agriculture remained important, but commerce across regions flourished in Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Education expanded via terakoya and temple schools, contributing to higher literacy and popular culture.

Culturally, the Edo period fostered distinctive arts and entertainment, including ukiyo-e prints, kabuki theater, bunraku puppetry, and Genroku literature. City life in Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto supported vibrant markets, pleasure quarters, and a rising urban culture, while rural areas maintained samurai households and local traditions.

The period ended with mounting internal pressure and external pressure in the 1850s and 1860s, culminating in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which restored imperial rule and spurred modernization. The Edo period left a lasting impact on Japanese institutions, urban culture, and social structure.