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Tokugawa Shogunate System

Type Object Region Japan Time 1603–1868

The Tokugawa shogunate system (bakuhan system) was Japan's early modern central-local dual governance structure of 1603–1868: the shogunate held supr…

Timeline

  1. 1603–1615Edo · KantoTokugawa Ieyasu became seii taishogun, established the shogunate with Edo as his main castle, and through daimyo allotments after Sekigahara and the Osaka campaigns and laws such as the Laws for the Imperial Court and Court Nobles, secured the shogun's real power over the imperial court.
  2. 1615–1630All of Japan · JapanUnder the second and third shoguns, fudai and tozama daimyo arrangements were refined, regulations such as the Buke Shohatto were issued to govern daimyo conduct, and between 1615 and 1620 shogunate institutions and temple-shrine controls were gradually institutionalized, stabilizing the bakuhan dual structure.
  3. 1635–1639Edo and the various domains · JapanSankin-kotai forced daimyo to travel regularly to Edo and leave hostages, strengthening central control; meanwhile sakoku was implemented, limiting Nagasaki Dejima as the trade window with the Dutch and Qing, and the bakuhan system entered a period of high stability.
  4. 1868Edo → Tokyo · JapanThe Satchō alliance pushed for the return of imperial rule and the Boshin War; the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned power, the bakuhan system was replaced by a modern centralized state, and the daimyo domain system was abolished.

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