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Coordinates: 35°41′02″N 139°46′28″E / 35.68389°N 139.77444°E / 35.68389; 139.77444
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==Urbanism==
==Urbanism==
Very quickly after its inception, the shogunate undertook major works in Edo that drastically changed the topography of the area, notably under the {{Nihongo|Tenka-Bushin|天下普請}} nationwide program of major civil works involving the now pacified ''[[Daimyo|daimyō]]'' workforce. The Hibiya cove facing the castle was soon filled after the arrival of Ieyasu, the Hirakawa river was diverted, and several protective moats and logistical canals were dug (including the Kanda river), to limit the risks of flooding. [[Land reclamation|Landfill works]] on the bay began, with several areas reclaimed during the duration of the shogunate (notably the Tsukiji area). East of the city and of the [[Sumida River]], a massive network of canals was dug.
During the 17th Century, Japan saw major growth in urbanism. Japan’s urban culture grew from 1% of the population to 15% of the population during this time. Urbanization stimulated the growth of commercial publishing which created a demand for knowledge and amusement through reading. Edo Japan’s population grew drastically during this time. The population grew from 148,719 in 1634 to 535,710. The city expanded quickly during this time of urbanization growth.


Fresh water was a major issue, as direct wells would provide brackish water because of the location of the city over an estuary. The few fresh water ponds of the city were put to use, and a network of canals and underground wooden pipes bringing freshwater from the western side of the city and the [[Tama River]] was built. Some of this infrastructure was used until the 20th century.
=== '''Merchants''' ===
Due to major growth in urbanization, merchants were able to thrive during this time. Selling goods and services that were previously done by servants. Merchants sold processed food and cloth for purchase. This shift caused Japan to experience a consumption revolution. They experienced an increased demand for a greater variety of goods. From durable luxury items to carved wooden goods. The improved merchant culture allowed the economy to thrive during this time.

As Merchant culture continued to grow, merchants began to ponder business ethics as they approached the 18th  century. During the [[Genroku]] period, many merchants went bankrupt due to lavish spending and making bad loans to the [[Daimyo|''daimyō'']]. Baigan argued that merchants deserved to earn just profit because profit for them was like the samurai’s stipend. He believed that merchants should dedicate themselves to their businesses with the same deviation a samurai owned their lord, and like the samurai, they should strive for moral perfection.  By 1724, teachers denied that merchants caused hardships through their pursuit of profit. Merchants played an important role in society. Merchants were responsible for distributing goods and services to society. By applying this principle to do finances, it was deemed merchants had a strategy that should be followed. A number of merchants were then able to earn positions as advisors to the [[Daimyo|''daimyō'']] and shogun.

=== Entertainment ===
During the [[Genroku|Genroku Era]] there was a growth of entertainment sources, the most popular being noted as the two pleasure zones, the brothel district and theaters which were often located near each other. These entertainments constituted what was called the [[Ukiyo|Floating World]] also known as ''Ukiyo'', which was celebrated in woodwork prints of prostitutes, actors and pornography. In these pleasure zones, was the creation of one of Japan’s most famous types of women, the [[Kabuki|Kabuki Women]]. Who became very important during this early 17th century, and became so popular that their charm caused fights to break out to the point that the shogunate forbade women from appearing on stage. Boys then replaced them as actors and prostitutes, to which the [[Shogun#Shogunate|Shogunate]] had to step in again and forbid all but mature men to perform in public.

The draw to Urbanism in Edo Japan, reached commoners as well. During this time, [[Haiku|Haikus]] were created, a 17 syllable verse which was a fine art created to make writings like poetry more accessible to commoners. Along with writings, Edo Japan saw an expansion of intellectual pursuits. Most popularly taken up by [[samurai]] who were deprived of fame through battle. They would turn to scholarship and make serious efforts to understand their society. The official schools for Samurai were the apex of the educational system in the Tokugawa Era. The Confucian Academy, administered directly by the Shogunate, became a model for ''hankō'' throughout Japan.

The curriculum of ''Hankō'' consisted mostly of kanguku (The study of books written in Chinese) and above all, [[Confucianism]]. The Classics of Confucianism, historical works and anthologies of Chinese poems were used as textbooks. [[Kokugaku]], brush writing and medicine were included as well. In the last days of the Shogunate, Western learning or ''yōgaku,'' including Western medicine, was added in several institutions.


=== General layout of the city ===
=== General layout of the city ===
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Temples and shrines occupied roughly 15% of the surface of the city, equivalent to the living areas of the townspeople, with however an average of one-tenth of its population. Temples and shrines were spread out over the city. Besides the large concentration in the northeast side to protect the city, the second Bodaiji of the Tokugawa, [[Zōjō-ji]] occupied a large area south of the castle.
Temples and shrines occupied roughly 15% of the surface of the city, equivalent to the living areas of the townspeople, with however an average of one-tenth of its population. Temples and shrines were spread out over the city. Besides the large concentration in the northeast side to protect the city, the second Bodaiji of the Tokugawa, [[Zōjō-ji]] occupied a large area south of the castle.

In the 18th century, the national road system was designed to bring the Daimyo to Edo, this started to attract commoners

Although the shogunate prohibited travel in the interest of preserving order. It allowed  pilgrimages, visits to relatives, and trips to medicinal hot springs. With a passport issued by a local official giving name, physical description, and destination, travelers set off, usually on foot, always in  groups, accompanied by neighbors to see them to the community border.


=== Housing ===
=== Housing ===


==== Military caste ====
==== Military caste ====
The samurai and ''daimyōs'' residential estates varied dramatically in size depending on their status. Some daimyōs could have several of those residences in Edo. The {{Nihongo|upper residence|上屋敷|kami-yashiki}}, was the main residence while the lord was in Edo and was used for official duties. It was not necessarily the largest of his residences, but the most convenient to commute to the castle. The upper residence also acted as the representative embassy of the domain in Edo, connecting the shogunate and the clan. The shogunate did not exercise its investigative powers inside the precincts of the residential estate of the upper residence, which could also act as a refuge. The estate of the upper residence was attributed by the shogunate according to the status of the clan and its relation with the Shogun. The {{Nihongo|middle residence|中屋敷|naka-yashiki}}, a bit further from the castle, could house the heir of the lord, his servants from his fief when he was in Edo for the [[Sankin-kōtai|sankin-kotai]] alternate residency, or be a hiding residence if needed. The {{Nihongo|lower residence|下屋敷|shimo-yashiki}}, if there was any, was on the outskirts of town, more of a pleasure retreat with gardens. The lower residence could also be used as a retreat for the lord if a fire had devastated the city. Some of the powerful ''daimyōs'' residences occupied vast grounds of several dozens of hectares. Maintenance and operations of those residential estates could be extremely expensive. Samurai in service of a specific clan would normally live in the residence of their lord.
The preparation of building sites and the new residences were financed by the [[Daimyo|''daimyō'']] themselves.

The samurai and ''daimyōs'' residential estates varied dramatically in size depending on their status. Some daimyōs could have several of those residences in Edo. The {{Nihongo|upper residence|上屋敷|kami-yashiki}}, was the main residence while the lord was in Edo and was used for official duties. It was not necessarily the largest of his residences, but the most convenient to commute to the castle. The upper residence also acted as the representative embassy of the domain in Edo, connecting the shogunate and the clan. The shogunate did not exercise its investigative powers inside the precincts of the residential estate of the upper residence, which could also act as a refuge. The estate of the upper residence was attributed by the shogunate according to the status of the clan and its relation with the Shogun. The {{Nihongo|middle residence|中屋敷|naka-yashiki}}, a bit further from the castle, could house the heir of the lord, his servants from his fief when he was in Edo for the [[Sankin-kōtai|sankin-kotai]] alternate residency, or be a hiding residence if needed. The {{Nihongo|lower residence|下屋敷|shimo-yashiki}}, if there was any, was on the outskirts of town, more of a pleasure retreat with gardens. The lower residence could also be used as a retreat for the lord if a fire had devastated the city. Some of the powerful ''daimyōs'' residences occupied vast grounds of several dozens of hectares. Maintenance and operations of those residential estates could be extremely expensive. Samurai in service of a specific clan would normally live in the residence of their lord. To serve the needs of this large samurai population, for house construction and regular household consumption, merchants and artisans also congregated in the city in large numbers


The {{Lang|ja-latn|[[hatamoto]]}} samurais, in direct service of the Shogun, would have their own residences, usually located behind the castle on the Western side in the [[Banchō]] area.
The {{Lang|ja-latn|[[hatamoto]]}} samurais, in direct service of the Shogun, would have their own residences, usually located behind the castle on the Western side in the [[Banchō]] area.
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Edo's municipal government was under the responsibility of the ''[[rōjū]]'', the senior officials which oversaw the entire ''bakufu'' – the government of the Tokugawa shogunate. The administrative definition of Edo was called {{Nihongo|''Gofunai''|御府内|4=litt. "where the government is"}}.
Edo's municipal government was under the responsibility of the ''[[rōjū]]'', the senior officials which oversaw the entire ''bakufu'' – the government of the Tokugawa shogunate. The administrative definition of Edo was called {{Nihongo|''Gofunai''|御府内|4=litt. "where the government is"}}.


The Tokugawa shoguns developed a system of councilors. This was four to five men that rotated monthly in taking responsibility for policy decisions, personnel matters, and supervising the daimyo. The ''[[Kanjō-bugyō]]'' (finance commissioners) were responsible for the financial matters of the shogunate,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deal |first1=William E. |title=Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195331264 |location=New York}}</ref> whereas the ''[[Jisha-bugyō|Jisha-Bugyō]]'' handled matters related to shrines and temples. The {{Nihongo|''[[Machi-bugyō]]''|町奉行}} were ''[[samurai]]'' (at the very beginning of the shogunate [[Daimyo|daimyōs]], later [[hatamoto]]) officials appointed to keep the order in the city, with the word designating both the heading magistrate, the magistrature and its organization. They were in charge of Edo's day-to-day administration, combining the role of police, judge and fire brigade. The structure that was implemented into the workforce came from the heredity system. If you were born into the guard system you served as a guard for the government. The Shogun was provided with a large staff of palace women in order to both serve him and the community.
The ''[[Kanjō-bugyō]]'' (finance commissioners) were responsible for the financial matters of the shogunate,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deal |first1=William E. |title=Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195331264 |location=New York}}</ref> whereas the ''[[Jisha-bugyō|Jisha-Bugyō]]'' handled matters related to shrines and temples. The {{Nihongo|''[[Machi-bugyō]]''|町奉行}} were ''[[samurai]]'' (at the very beginning of the shogunate [[Daimyo|daimyōs]], later [[hatamoto]]) officials appointed to keep the order in the city, with the word designating both the heading magistrate, the magistrature and its organization. They were in charge of Edo's day-to-day administration, combining the role of police, judge and fire brigade. There were two offices, the South Machi-Bugyō and the North Machi-Bugyō, which had the same geographical jurisdiction in spite of their name but rotated roles on a monthly basis. Despite their extensive responsibilities, the teams of the Machi-Bugyō were rather small, with 2 offices of 125 people each. The Machi-Bugyō did not have jurisdiction over the samurai residential areas, which remained under the shogunate direct rule. The geographical jurisdiction of the Machi-Bugyō did not exactly coincide with the Gofunai, creating some complexity on the handling on the matters of the city.

There were two offices, the South Machi-Bugyō and the North Machi-Bugyō, which had the same geographical jurisdiction in spite of their name but rotated roles on a monthly basis. Despite their extensive responsibilities, the teams of the Machi-Bugyō were rather small, with 2 offices of 125 people each. The Machi-Bugyō did not have jurisdiction over the samurai residential areas, which remained under the shogunate direct rule. The geographical jurisdiction of the Machi-Bugyō did not exactly coincide with the Gofunai, creating some complexity on the handling on the matters of the city.
The Machi-bugyō oversaw the numerous Machi where shonin lived through representatives called {{Nihongo|''Machidoshiyori''|町年寄}}. Each Machi had a Machi leader called {{Nihongo|''[[Nanushi]]''|名主}}, who reported to a {{Nihongo|''Machidoshiyori''|町年寄}} who himself was in charge of several Machis.
The Machi-bugyō oversaw the numerous Machi where shonin lived through representatives called {{Nihongo|''Machidoshiyori''|町年寄}}. Each Machi had a Machi leader called {{Nihongo|''[[Nanushi]]''|名主}}, who reported to a {{Nihongo|''Machidoshiyori''|町年寄}} who himself was in charge of several Machis.

== Agricultural Life ==
When agricultural life was exponentially changed by the peace dividend farmers, merchants, artisans, and rulers made sure to exploit the opportunities that came with the change. Which also leads to the depletion of forest. Rice paddy fields became popular along with expansion of arable land in the areas growing around 45%. Within the demand of water for growth, irrigation systems became popular for field growth. With the growth of foods that require more water lead to the demand for more dry foods in which China produced. The agricultural trade started with the different types of food both Japan was growing during this time frame and also what was readily produced by China. They also took inspiration from many Chinese technologies for agricultural life. The popularity of cotton production grew as well. They forced women to typically work jobs of creating and crafting with cotton. This started the idea of using cotton production for manufacturing for profit.


==See also==
==See also==
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* Akira Naito (Author), Kazuo Hozumi. ''Edo, the City that Became Tokyo: An Illustrated History''. Kodansha International, Tokyo (2003). {{ISBN|4-7700-2757-5}}
* Akira Naito (Author), Kazuo Hozumi. ''Edo, the City that Became Tokyo: An Illustrated History''. Kodansha International, Tokyo (2003). {{ISBN|4-7700-2757-5}}
* Alternate spelling from [[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica|1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']] article.
* Alternate spelling from [[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica|1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']] article.
* TAKASHI, K. (2000). Edo in the seventeenth century: aspects of urban development in a segregated society. ''Urban History'', ''27''(2), 189–210. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/44613142</nowiki>
* ''Edo Period Society (1615–1868) in Japan - education - asian art museum''. Education. (n.d.). <nowiki>https://education.asianart.org/resources/edo-period-society-in-japan/</nowiki>
* Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). ''Education in the Tokugawa era''. Encyclopædia Britannica. <nowiki>https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Education-in-the-Tokugawa-era</nowiki>
* Walthall, A., & Buckley Ebrey, P. (2014). Chapter 17/ Edo Japan. In ''East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History'' (3rd ed.). essay, Cengage Learning. Retrieved March 1, 2024,.


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 01:50, 2 March 2024

Edo
江戸 (えど)
Former city
Folding screen view of Edo in the 17th century, showing Edo Castle on the upper right corner
Folding screen view of Edo in the 17th century, showing Edo Castle on the upper right corner
Location of the former city of Edo
Location of the former city of Edo
Coordinates: 35°41′02″N 139°46′28″E / 35.68389°N 139.77444°E / 35.68389; 139.77444
CountryJapan
ProvinceMusashi
Edo Castle built1457
Capital of Japan (De facto)1603
Renamed Tokyo1868
Government
 • Type of leaderFeudal government
Population
 (1721)[1]
 • Total1,000,000

Edo (Japanese: 江戸, lit.'"bay-entrance" or "estuary"'), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.[2]

Edo, formerly a jōkamachi (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the de facto capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. Edo grew to become one of the largest cities in the world under the Tokugawa.

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 the Meiji government renamed Edo as Tokyo (, "Eastern Capital") and relocated the Emperor from the historic capital of Kyoto to the city. The era of Tokugawa rule in Japan from 1603 to 1868 is known as the Edo period.

History

Before Tokugawa

Before the 10th century, there is no mention of Edo in historical records, but for a few settlements in the area. Edo first appears in the Azuma Kagami chronicles, that name for the area being probably used since the second half of the Heian period. Its development started in late 11th century with a branch of the Kanmu-Taira clan (桓武平氏) called the Chichibu clan (秩父氏), coming from the banks of the then-Iruma River, present day upstream of Arakawa river. A descendant of the head of the Chichibu clan settled in the area and took the name Edo Shigetsugu (江戸重継), likely based on the name used for the place, and founded the Edo clan. Shigetsugu built a fortified residence, probably around the tip of the Musashino terrace, which would become the Edo castle. Shigetsugu's son, Edo Shigenaga (江戸重長), took the Taira's side against Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1180 but eventually surrendered to Minamoto and became a gokenin for the Kamakura shogunate. At the fall of the shogunate in the 14th century, the Edo clan took the side of the Southern court, and its influence declined during the Muromachi period.

In 1456, a vassal of the Ōgigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan, started to build a castle on the former fortified residence of the Edo clan and took the name Ōta Dōkan. Dōkan lived in this castle until his assassination in 1486. Under Dōkan, with good water connections to Kamakura, Odawara and other parts of Kanto and the country, Edo expanded in a jokamachi, with the castle bordering a cove opening into Edo Bay (current Hibiya Park) and the town developing along the Hirakawa River that was flowing into the cove, as well as the stretch of land on the eastern side of the cove (roughly where current Tokyo Station is) called Edomaeto (江戸前島). Some priests and scholars fleeing Kyoto after the Ōnin War came to Edo during that period.

After the death of Dōkan, the castle became one of strongholds of the Uesugi clan, which fell to the Later Hōjō clan at the battle of Takanawahara in 1524, during the expansion of their rule over the Kantō area. When the Hōjō clan was finally defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, the Kanto area was given to rule to Toyotomi's senior officer Tokugawa Ieyasu, who took his residence in Edo.

Tokugawa era

Famous places of Edo in 1803

Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as the paramount warlord of the Sengoku period following his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in October 1600. He formally founded the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and established his headquarters at Edo Castle. Edo became the center of political power and de facto capital of Japan, although the historic capital of Kyoto remained the de jure capital as the seat of the emperor. Edo transformed from a fishing village in Musashi Province in 1457 into the largest metropolis in the world with an estimated population of 1,000,000 by 1721.[1][3]

Painted scroll of a great fire, with people trying to escape
Scroll depicting the Great Fire of Meireki

Edo was repeatedly and regularly devastated by fires, the Great fire of Meireki in 1657 being the most disastrous, with an estimated 100,000 victims and a vast portion of the city completely burnt. At the time, the population of Edo was around 300,000, and the impact of the fire was tremendous. The fire destroyed the central keep of Edo Castle, which was never rebuilt, and it influenced the urban planning afterwards to make the city more resilient with many empty areas to break spreading fires and wider streets. Reconstruction efforts expanded the city east of the Sumida River, and some daimyō residences were relocated to give more space to the city, especially in the direct vicinity of the shogun's residence, giving birth to a large green space beside the castle, present-day Fukiage gardens of the Imperial Palace. During the Edo period, there were about 100 major fires mostly begun by accident and often quickly escalating and spreading through neighborhoods of wooden nagaya which were heated with charcoal fires.

Small, sepia-colored map of Edo in the 1840s
Map of Edo in the 1840s

In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown in the Meiji Restoration by supporters of Emperor Meiji and his Imperial Court in Kyoto, ending Edo's status as the de facto capital of Japan. However, the new Meiji government soon renamed Edo to Tōkyō (東京, "Eastern Capital") and the city became the formal capital of Japan when the emperor moved his residence to the city.

Urbanism

Very quickly after its inception, the shogunate undertook major works in Edo that drastically changed the topography of the area, notably under the Tenka-Bushin (天下普請) nationwide program of major civil works involving the now pacified daimyō workforce. The Hibiya cove facing the castle was soon filled after the arrival of Ieyasu, the Hirakawa river was diverted, and several protective moats and logistical canals were dug (including the Kanda river), to limit the risks of flooding. Landfill works on the bay began, with several areas reclaimed during the duration of the shogunate (notably the Tsukiji area). East of the city and of the Sumida River, a massive network of canals was dug.

Fresh water was a major issue, as direct wells would provide brackish water because of the location of the city over an estuary. The few fresh water ponds of the city were put to use, and a network of canals and underground wooden pipes bringing freshwater from the western side of the city and the Tama River was built. Some of this infrastructure was used until the 20th century.

General layout of the city

The city was laid out as a castle town around Edo Castle, which was positioned at the tip of the Musashino terrace. The area in the immediate proximity of the castle consisted of samurai and daimyō residences, whose families lived in Edo as part of the sankin-kōtai system; the daimyō made journeys in alternating years to Edo and used the residences for their entourages. The location of each residence was carefully attributed depending on their position as tozama, shinpan or fudai. It was this extensive organization of the city for the samurai class which defined the character of Edo, particularly in contrast to the two major cities of Kyoto and Osaka, neither of which were ruled by a daimyō or had a significant samurai population. Kyoto's character was defined by the Imperial Court, the court nobles, its Buddhist temples and its history; Osaka was the country's commercial center, dominated by the chōnin or the merchant class. On the contrary, the samurai and daimyō residences occupied up to 70% of the area of Edo. On the east and northeast sides of the castle lived the Shomin (庶民, "regular people") including the chōnin in a much more densely populated area than the samurai class area, organized in a series of gated communities called machi (町, "town" or "village"). This area, Shitamachi (下町, "lower town" or "lower towns"), was the center of urban and merchant culture. Shomin also lived along the main roads leading in and out of the city. The Sumida River, then called the Great River (大川, Ōkawa), ran on the eastern side of the city. The shogunate's official rice-storage warehouses[4] and other official buildings were located here.

Illustration of people crossing the wooden Edo Bridge
Nihonbashi in Edo, ukiyo-e print by Hiroshige

The Nihonbashi bridge (日本橋, lit. "bridge of Japan") marked the center of the city's commercial center and the starting point of the gokaidō (thus making it the de facto "center of the country"). Fishermen, craftsmen and other producers and retailers operated here. Shippers managed ships known as tarubune to and from Osaka and other cities, bringing goods into the city or transferring them from sea routes to river barges or land routes.

The northeastern corner of the city was considered dangerous in the traditional onmyōdō cosmology and was protected from evil by a number of temples including Sensō-ji and Kan'ei-ji, one of the two tutelary Bodaiji temples of the Tokugawa. A path and a canal, a short distance north of Sensō-ji, extended west from the Sumida riverbank leading along the northern edge of the city to the Yoshiwara pleasure district. Previously located near Ningyōchō, the district was rebuilt in this more remote location after the great fire of Meireki. Danzaemon, the hereditary position head of eta, or outcasts, who performed "unclean" works in the city resided nearby.

Temples and shrines occupied roughly 15% of the surface of the city, equivalent to the living areas of the townspeople, with however an average of one-tenth of its population. Temples and shrines were spread out over the city. Besides the large concentration in the northeast side to protect the city, the second Bodaiji of the Tokugawa, Zōjō-ji occupied a large area south of the castle.

Housing

Military caste

The samurai and daimyōs residential estates varied dramatically in size depending on their status. Some daimyōs could have several of those residences in Edo. The upper residence (上屋敷, kami-yashiki), was the main residence while the lord was in Edo and was used for official duties. It was not necessarily the largest of his residences, but the most convenient to commute to the castle. The upper residence also acted as the representative embassy of the domain in Edo, connecting the shogunate and the clan. The shogunate did not exercise its investigative powers inside the precincts of the residential estate of the upper residence, which could also act as a refuge. The estate of the upper residence was attributed by the shogunate according to the status of the clan and its relation with the Shogun. The middle residence (中屋敷, naka-yashiki), a bit further from the castle, could house the heir of the lord, his servants from his fief when he was in Edo for the sankin-kotai alternate residency, or be a hiding residence if needed. The lower residence (下屋敷, shimo-yashiki), if there was any, was on the outskirts of town, more of a pleasure retreat with gardens. The lower residence could also be used as a retreat for the lord if a fire had devastated the city. Some of the powerful daimyōs residences occupied vast grounds of several dozens of hectares. Maintenance and operations of those residential estates could be extremely expensive. Samurai in service of a specific clan would normally live in the residence of their lord.

The hatamoto samurais, in direct service of the Shogun, would have their own residences, usually located behind the castle on the Western side in the Banchō area.

Shonin

Typical ''nagaya'' housing district in backstreets

In a strict sense of the word, chōnin were only the townspeople who owned their residence, which was actually a minority. The shonin population mainly lived in semi-collective housings called nagaya (長屋, litt. "Long house"), multi-rooms wooden dwellings, organized in enclosed machi (, "town" or "village"), with communal facilities, such as wells connected to the city's fresh water distribution system, garbage collection area and communal bathrooms. A typical machi was of rectangular shape and could have a population of several hundred.

Museum room with wood furniture and cooking utensils in center
Chōnin-room exhibit at the Fukagawa Edo Museum

The machi had curfew for the night with closing and guarded gates called kidomon (木戸門) opening on the main street (表通り, omote-dori) in the machi. Two floor buildings and larger shops, reserved to the higher-ranking members of the society, were facing the main street. A machi would typically follow a grid pattern and smaller streets, Shinmichi (新道), were opening on the main street, also with (sometimes) two-floor buildings, shop on the first floor, living quarter on the second floor, for the more well-off residents. Very narrow streets accessible through small gates called roji (路地), would enter deeper inside the machi, where single floor nagayas, the uranagayas (裏長屋, litt. "backstreet long houses") were located. Rentals and smaller rooms for lower ranked shonin were located in those back housings.

Edo was nicknamed the City of 808 machi (江戸八百八町, Edo happyaku hacchō), depicting the large number and diversity of those communities, but the actual number was closer to 1,700 by the 18th century.

Edo, 1865 or 1866. Photochrom print. Five albumen prints joined to form a panorama. Photographer: Felice Beato

Government and administration

Edo's municipal government was under the responsibility of the rōjū, the senior officials which oversaw the entire bakufu – the government of the Tokugawa shogunate. The administrative definition of Edo was called Gofunai (御府内, litt. "where the government is").

The Kanjō-bugyō (finance commissioners) were responsible for the financial matters of the shogunate,[5] whereas the Jisha-Bugyō handled matters related to shrines and temples. The Machi-bugyō (町奉行) were samurai (at the very beginning of the shogunate daimyōs, later hatamoto) officials appointed to keep the order in the city, with the word designating both the heading magistrate, the magistrature and its organization. They were in charge of Edo's day-to-day administration, combining the role of police, judge and fire brigade. There were two offices, the South Machi-Bugyō and the North Machi-Bugyō, which had the same geographical jurisdiction in spite of their name but rotated roles on a monthly basis. Despite their extensive responsibilities, the teams of the Machi-Bugyō were rather small, with 2 offices of 125 people each. The Machi-Bugyō did not have jurisdiction over the samurai residential areas, which remained under the shogunate direct rule. The geographical jurisdiction of the Machi-Bugyō did not exactly coincide with the Gofunai, creating some complexity on the handling on the matters of the city. The Machi-bugyō oversaw the numerous Machi where shonin lived through representatives called Machidoshiyori (町年寄). Each Machi had a Machi leader called Nanushi (名主), who reported to a Machidoshiyori (町年寄) who himself was in charge of several Machis.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Sansom, George. A History of Japan: 1615–1867, p. 114.
  2. ^ US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759; excerpt, "The Mikado, on assuming the exercise of power at Yedo, changed the name of the city to Tokio".
  3. ^ Gordon, Andrew. (2003). A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present, p. 23.
  4. ^ Taxes, and samurai stipends, were paid not in coin, but in rice. See koku.
  5. ^ Deal, William E. (2007). Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195331264.

References