During the Edo period, the city of Edo functioned as a vast economic center. Its economy was sustained by a complex system of consumption, supply, trade, rental, and resource circulation, shaped by both high-status samurai and townspeople (chōnin, 町人).
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, chose Edo (present-day Tokyo) as Japan’s new capital, and it became one of the largest cities of its time and was the site of a thriving urban culture.
The Edo period refers to the years from 1603 until 1868 when the Tokugawa family ruled Japan. The era is named after the city of Edo, modern-day Tokyo, where the Tokugawa shogunate had its government.
A vibrant urban culture developed in the city of Edo (today’s Tokyo) as well as in Kyoto and elsewhere. Artisans and merchants became important producers and consumers of new forms of visual and material culture.
Tokugawa period (德川時代, Tokugawa jidai), also called Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai), from 1603 to 1867, the final period of traditional Japan, a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the shogunate (military dictatorship) founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Period / Edo Period (1600-1867) - Japanese Studies - Subject ...
For 260 years, Edo Castle was home to the powerful Tokugawa shoguns, making it the center of Japan's politics and much intrigue as well. Now the site houses the Imperial Family's palace and residence, as well as serene gardens and several museums that are open to the public.
The Edo period, also known as the Tokugawa period, lasted from 1603 to 1867 and represents the final chapter of traditional Japanese culture and governance before the transformative Meiji Restoration.