The old name of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, was Edo, which means "house on the river", "near the river" or "entrance to the bay" and which was recognized as the capital of the Japanese Empire. Edo was for more than 250 years the political and economic center of the shogunate (military government) of the Tokugawa clan.
During these centuries, the city was transformed into a large urban center, comparable only to the city of Beijing; likewise, it became one of the cities with the largest population of warriors (samurai).
In 1868, the city's name was changed to "Tokyo" when the Tokugawa shogunate ended and the Meiji Emperor's restoration began.
From Edo to Tokyo
In 1457, the city of Edo was established, which belonged to the Musashi province, current territory of what is now Tokyo.
In 1603, the Tokugawa shogunate was established, a military and dictatorial government, led by a "shogun" (leader of the armed forces). In theory, the shogun represented the authority of the emperor, but in reality he was the ruler of the entire country.
The shogunate of the Tokugawa clan was the third and last in Japan, which took Edo as the center of government, as well as an economic and cultural center.
In this sense, Edo was the capital of the shogunate, however, the Emperor's residences were in Kyoto, which had been the capital of Japan until 1603.
In September 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate fell and the Meiji Restoration began. A short time later, the Meiji Emperor ordered that the capital city, Edo, be renamed "Tokyo," which means "capital of the east."
Edo history
During the 14th century, the territory of the Musashino province was considered not to be similar to the other cultural centers and capitals of Japan, such as Nara and Kyoto.
In 1457, Ota Dokan founded Edo Castle and this city was born. However, the fishing villages near Edo were not considered cities until the 16th century.
In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, took Edo castle as the headquarters and, in 1603, Edo became the political center of this shogunate.
Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Tokugawa shogun
It should be noted that, between 1600 and 1605, Tokugawa Ieyasu spent most of his time in the cities of Kyoto and Osaka, in order to establish the legitimacy of his power, as well as ties of friendship with the most influential families of these two cities..
The first shogun of the Tokugawa clan to actually rule in Edo was Tokugawa Ieyasu's son: Tokugawa Hidetada.
In 1657, most of the city was destroyed by fire, known as the Great Meikiri Fire. This was because the houses, built of wood and paper and in close proximity to each other, burned easily and allowed the fire to spread rapidly.
Approximately 100,000 people died from this fire. However, the reconstruction of the city was carried out in a short time and between the 18th and 19th centuries, the city grew considerably.
By the middle of the 18th century, the city's total population exceeded one million people, a number that was only matched by Beijing, whose population also increased in this period.
In the first decades of the 19th century, visitors from other provinces began to arrive, who, attracted by the economic and cultural development of Edo, settled in the city.
In 1868, with the fall of the Tokugawa clan shogunate, the city was renamed Tokyo (on September 3, 1868).
In this same year, the Meiji Emperor moved to Tokyo and settled in the Edo Castle, which was transformed into an imperial castle.
Edo Organization
Edo City, capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate, was organized around Edo Castle (also known as Chiyoda Castle), which had been Tokugawa Ieyasu's headquarters since 1590.
The Sumidawa (the Sumida River) marked the border between the Musashi province, in which the city of Edo was located, and the Shimousa province. These two provinces were connected by the Ryogoku Bridge.
Edo was structured in a spiral shape. Around the city there were 36 gates that allowed or denied access to the capital.
Edo Imperial Palace
On the other hand, the city was divided into sections, which in turn showed the division of society. In this sense, the population was organized as follows:
1 - The merchants, who lived in the southeast of the city.
2 - The artisans, like the merchants, were found southeast of Edo.
3 - Farmers.
4 - The samurai and the warrior class lived north of the city and, sometimes, in the central area of the city. Most had residence in the castles of the city and many of them were also bureaucrats.
20% of the buildings in the city were occupied by merchants, farmers and artisans. 35% were the mansions of the daimyo (feudal sovereigns) and another 35% were occupied by the samurai. The last 10% were the temples.
Edo: samurai city
Edo is recognized for having been a samurai city. This is because the Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu declared in the early 1630s that all daimyo should have a permanent residence in the city.
In this way, the daimyo had to reside half the year in Edo and, for the rest of the year, their relatives were held as "hostages" so that the shogun had power over the daimyo.
In this way the samurai population increased to protect the residences of the feudal rulers. By the seventeenth century, the number of samurai exceeded 100,000 people, which had not been seen before.
References
- Edo. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from wiki.samurai-archives.com
- Edo. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
- Tokyo. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
- What was the old name for Tokyo? Why did it change? Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from quora.com
- History of Tokyo. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from wa-pedia.com
- A Guide to Samurai Goverments, 1185-1858. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from afe.easia.columbia.edu
- Tokugawa Period. Retrieved on May 23, 2017, from britannica.com