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Japanese Culture
Edo
The Edo period is the 260 year span following Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's defeat of Toyotomi family and his establishment of the bakufu government in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1603.
The Shogun, who sat at the top of power, ruled the daimyo that controlled the land which was worth over 10,000 koku (unit of measure based on rice production). The domains of the daimyo and the power structure were known as "han." The bakufu controlled the land of the nation through these "han" units. This system was called the "bakuhan" system.
The Shogun kept the emperor, the nobility and religious institutions on a tight rein. This period also saw the reinforcement of a status system known as "shi-nou-kou-sho (warrior-peasant-artisan-merchant)" which placed the warrior in the top social class. Shogun Ieyasu prohibited Christianity, and in the early 17th century, the third Shogun Iemitsu closed the country to foreign commerce. During this period advances were made in domestic agriculture production as well as fishing industries, which strengthened the merchant class and gave rise to a monetary economy. By the 19th century, the bakuhan system was falling apart.
The culture known as the Genroku Bunka flourished in the late 17th century and early 18the century. Joururi (the puppet theater) and kabuki gained much popularity. Literature was raised with Ihara Saikaku's fiction, Matsuo Basho's haiku (poetry) and Chikamatsu Monzaemon's drama. The art of ukiyoe also began during this period.
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