Edo (castle city of the Tokugawa shogun)

Timeline

1. 1457Edo Castle (site of Chiyoda Castle) · KantōThe Muromachi-era warrior Ōta Dōkan built a castle on the Edo plateau in 1457, the origin of Edo Castle. The castle was small, commanding the water and land routes of the Kantō Plain; it passed among lords during the Warring States period, and in 1590 came under Tokugawa Ieyasu, vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who immediately expanded it greatly as the base for administering his Kantō domain.
2. 1603–1615Edo Castle · KantōIn 1603 Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed seii taishōgun and formally opened the shogunate at Edo, which quickly became Japan's de facto political center. After the Summer Campaign at Osaka in 1615 eliminated the Toyotomi clan, the Tokugawa regime established nationwide dominance; large-scale expansion of Edo Castle's tenshukaku and honmaru proceeded, daimyo from each domain rotated residence under the sankin-kōtai system, and the castle town expanded rapidly.
3. 1621–1630Edo castle town · KantōBy 1621, under second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, Edo's castle town already had dense samurai residences, merchant districts, and temple-shrine quarters, with population continuing rapid growth. In 1623 Hidetada retired and third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu took office, immediately strengthening the sankin-kōtai system to require daimyo from each domain to reside in Edo regularly; large numbers of samurai families and merchants relocated, further expanding the city; meanwhile Iemitsu began strengthening proscription of Christianity and trade controls, laying the early framework of the sakoku edicts.
4. 1700–1868Edo · KantōBy the early 18th century Edo's population exceeded one million, ranking among the world's largest cities alongside London and Beijing. The zoned layout of samurai, townspeople, and shrine personnel, the well-developed waterway and logistics systems, and the flourishing ukiyo-e and kabuki cultures all matured during this period. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the emperor moved to Edo, renamed "Tokyo," and the city continues to the present day.