Tokugawa period | Definition & Facts

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The Edo Period</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/whp-1750/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:unit-1-the-world-in-1750/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:1-3-expanding-to-a-global-scale/a/read-tokugawa-shogunate-beta" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Khan Academy - Tokugawa Shogunate</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Edo_Period/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">World History Encyclopedia - Edo Period</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://doyouknowjapan.com/history/edo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Encyclopedia Japan - Edo Period</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://education.asianart.org/resources/historical-background-of-the-edo-period/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Asian Art Museum - Education - Historical Background of the Edo Period (1615–1868)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.academia.edu/43916724/Crisis_of_Tokugawa_regime_in_Japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Academia - Crisis of Tokugawa regime in Japan</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/japans-encounter-with-europe-1573-1853" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Victoria and Albert Museum - The Edo Period in Japanese History</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/history-edo-period-1.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">GlobalSecurity.org - Edo Period - 1603-1867</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.sfu.ca/~poitras/JBF_Tokugawa-Japan_89.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Simon Fraser University - Journal of Banking and Finance - Forwards and Futures in Tokugawa-Period Japan</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://samurai-archives.com/wiki/Edo_Period" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Samurai Archives - Edo Period</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/sites/default/files/attached-files/tokugawa-essay.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">University of Colorado Boulder - Tokugawa Japan: An introductory essay</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/edo-period-an-introduction" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Khan Academy - Edo period, an introduction</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Tokugawa-period/631570" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tokugawa period - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Edo period</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-21T00:00:00CST" >Nov 21, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokugawa-period/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>Edo period</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Date: </dt> <dd>1603 - 1867 </dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Location: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/Japan">Japan</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Major Events: </dt> <dd><a href="/event/Bunka-Bunsei-period">Bunka-Bunsei period</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Iwasa-Matabei">Iwasa Matabei</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://education.asianart.org/resources/historical-background-of-the-edo-period/" target="_blank">Asian Art Museum - Education - Historical Background of the Edo Period (1615–1868)</a> (Nov. 21, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Tokugawa-period"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What happened during the Tokugawa period?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Tokugawa period was marked by internal peace, political stability, and economic growth. Social order was officially frozen, and mobility between classes (warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) was forbidden. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/samurai\">samurai<\/a> warrior class came to be a bureaucratic order in this time of lessened conflict. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/shogunate\">shogunate<\/a> perceived Roman Catholic missionaries as a tool of colonial expansion and a threat to the shogun\u2019s authority and consequently banned Christianity and adopted a policy of national seclusion." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How long did the Tokugawa period last?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Tokugawa period lasted more than 260 years, from 1603 to 1867." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Why was the Tokugawa period important?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Tokugawa period was the final period of traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Japan\">Japan<\/a>. It was the last of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/shogunate\">shogunates<\/a>. During this time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Tokugawa-Ieyasu\">Tokugawa Ieyasu<\/a> established a government at Edo (now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Tokyo\">Tokyo<\/a>), where Japan\u2019s central government remains today. In the 1630s the shogunate adopted a policy of national seclusion, which forbade Japanese subjects from traveling abroad. This isolation from the rest of the world would have a profound effect on Japan\u2019s future." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What happened during the Tokugawa period?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Tokugawa period was marked by internal peace, political stability, and economic growth. Social order was officially frozen, and mobility between classes (warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) was forbidden. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/samurai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">samurai</a> warrior class came to be a bureaucratic order in this time of lessened conflict. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/shogunate" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">shogunate</a> perceived Roman Catholic missionaries as a tool of colonial expansion and a threat to the shogun’s authority and consequently banned Christianity and adopted a policy of national seclusion.</p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/place/Japan/The-bakuhan-system" class="d-flex mt-15">Japan: The bakuhan system</a>Read more about the Tokugawa period.</div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How long did the Tokugawa period last?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Tokugawa period lasted more than 260 years, from 1603 to 1867.</p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/biography/Tokugawa-Ieyasu" class="d-flex mt-15">Tokugawa Ieyasu</a>Read more about Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.</div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Why was the Tokugawa period important?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Tokugawa period was the final period of traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Japan</a>. It was the last of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/shogunate" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">shogunates</a>. During this time <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tokugawa-Ieyasu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokugawa Ieyasu</a> established a government at Edo (now <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tokyo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokyo</a>), where Japan’s central government remains today. In the 1630s the shogunate adopted a policy of national seclusion, which forbade Japanese subjects from traveling abroad. This isolation from the rest of the world would have a profound effect on Japan’s future.</p></div><div class="connections border-top mt-15"><a href="/place/Japan/The-bakuhan-system#ref23168" class="d-flex mt-15">Japan: The enforcement of national seclusion</a>Read more about the enforcement of national seclusion in Japan.</div></div></div></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref207996"></span>Tokugawa period</strong>, (1603–1867), the final period of traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Japan</a>, a time of internal peace, political stability, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/economic-growth" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">economic growth</a> under the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/shogunate" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">shogunate</a> (military dictatorship) founded by <span id="ref207997"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tokugawa-Ieyasu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokugawa Ieyasu</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="203689" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/175539-050-E2880AFC/Iemitsu-Tokugawa-lords-audience-Tsukioka-Yoshitoshi-1875.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/598326/203689"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/175539-050-E2880AFC/Iemitsu-Tokugawa-lords-audience-Tsukioka-Yoshitoshi-1875.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/175539-050-E2880AFC/Iemitsu-Tokugawa-lords-audience-Tsukioka-Yoshitoshi-1875.jpg?w=300" alt="Tokugawa Iemitsu" data-width="1600" data-height="1108" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/175539-050-E2880AFC/Iemitsu-Tokugawa-lords-audience-Tsukioka-Yoshitoshi-1875.jpg" data-href="/media/1/598326/203689">Tokugawa Iemitsu</a><span>The Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu receiving lords (daimyo) in an audience, colour woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1875.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">As <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/shogun" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">shogun</a>, Ieyasu achieved <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="hegemony" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hegemony" data-type="MW">hegemony</a> over the entire country by balancing the power of potentially hostile domains (<em>tozama</em>) with strategically placed allies (<em>fudai</em>) and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="collateral" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collateral" data-type="MW">collateral</a> houses (<em>shimpan</em>). As a further strategy of control, beginning in 1635, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tokugawa-Iemitsu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokugawa Iemitsu</a> required the domanial lords, or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/daimyo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">daimyo</a>, to maintain households in the Tokugawa administrative capital of Edo (modern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tokyo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokyo</a>) and reside there for several months every other year. The resulting system of semi-autonomous domains directed by the central authority of the <span id="ref207998"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tokugawa-shogunate" class="md-crosslink ">Tokugawa shogunate</a> lasted for more than 250 years.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="241406" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/127510-050-15561BD0/Edo-Castle-compound-Imperial-Palace-Tokyo.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/598326/241406"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/127510-050-15561BD0/Edo-Castle-compound-Imperial-Palace-Tokyo.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/127510-050-15561BD0/Edo-Castle-compound-Imperial-Palace-Tokyo.jpg?w=300" alt="Tokugawa period; Tokyo" data-width="800" data-height="528" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/127510-050-15561BD0/Edo-Castle-compound-Imperial-Palace-Tokyo.jpg" data-href="/media/1/598326/241406">Tokugawa period; Tokyo</a><span>Edo Castle in the Imperial Palace compound, Tokyo.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">As part of the systematic plan to maintain stability, the social order was officially frozen, and mobility between the four classes (warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) was prohibited. Numerous members of the warrior class, or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/samurai" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">samurai</a>, took up residence in the capital and other castle towns where many of them became <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="bureaucrats" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucrats" data-type="MW">bureaucrats</a>. Peasants, who made up 80 percent of the population, were forbidden to engage in nonagricultural activities so as to ensure a stable and continuing source of income for those in positions of authority.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/topic/education/Education-in-the-Tokugawa-era#ref302797" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/233702-050-94172E64/Students-classroom-atheistic-activity-Salavdor-Bahia-Brazail-2018.jpg" alt="a classroom in Brazil" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">education: Education in the Tokugawa era</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="289707" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="248787"><a data-id="248787" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/Beauty-Looking-Back-Hishikawa-Moronobu/-289707"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/248787-138-B1190CE9/Beauty-Looking-Back-Hishikawa-Moronobu.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="How Beauty Looking Back reflects Japanese history" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/Mbi1vLjY.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/87/248787-138-B1190CE9/Beauty-Looking-Back-Hishikawa-Moronobu.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/02hbRCkE.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/k0COsWtO.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="248787">How <em>Beauty Looking Back</em> reflects Japanese history</span><span>Hishikawa Moronobu's <em>Beauty Looking Back</em> exemplifies the changing lifestyles, artwork, and fashion of Japan's Tokugawa period. </span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/event/Tokugawa-period/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Another aspect of the Tokugawa concern with political stability was fear of foreign ideas and military intervention. <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Cognizant" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cognizant" data-type="MW">Cognizant</a> that the colonial expansion of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Spain</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Portugal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Portugal</a> in Asia had been made possible by the work of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Roman Catholic</a> missionaries, the Tokugawa shoguns came to view the missionaries as a threat to their rule. Measures to expel them from the country culminated in the promulgation of three exclusion decrees in the 1630s, which effected a complete ban on <span id="ref207999"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Christianity</a>. Moreover, in issuing these orders, the Tokugawa shogunate officially adopted a policy of national seclusion. From 1633 onward Japanese subjects were forbidden to travel abroad or to return from overseas, and foreign contact was limited to a few Chinese and Dutch <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="merchants" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/merchants" data-type="EB">merchants</a> still allowed to trade through the southern port of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nagasaki-Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nagasaki</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="7887" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/8914-004-9994FB77/Hanshozuku-Bijin-Soroi-ukiyo-e-Okumura-Masanobu-Tokugawa.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/598326/7887"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/8914-004-9994FB77/Hanshozuku-Bijin-Soroi-ukiyo-e-Okumura-Masanobu-Tokugawa.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/8914-004-9994FB77/Hanshozuku-Bijin-Soroi-ukiyo-e-Okumura-Masanobu-Tokugawa.jpg?w=300" alt="Okumura Masanobu: Hanshozuku Bijin Soroi" data-width="150" data-height="331" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/8914-004-9994FB77/Hanshozuku-Bijin-Soroi-ukiyo-e-Okumura-Masanobu-Tokugawa.jpg" data-href="/media/1/598326/7887">Okumura Masanobu: <em>Hanshozuku Bijin Soroi</em></a><span><em>Hanshozuku Bijin Soroi</em>, ukiyo-e color woodcut by Okumura Masanobu, Tokugawa period; in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The national economy expanded rapidly from the 1680s to the early 1700s. The emphasis placed on agricultural production by the Tokugawa shogunate encouraged considerable growth in that economic sector. Expansion of commerce and the manufacturing industry was even greater, stimulated by the development of large urban centres, most notably Edo, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Osaka-Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ōsaka</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyoto-Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kyōto</a>, in the wake of the government’s efforts at centralization and its success in maintaining peace. The production of fine silk and cotton fabrics, manufacture of paper and porcelain, and sake brewing flourished in the cities and towns, as did trading in these commodities. This increase in mercantile activity gave rise to wholesalers and exchange brokers, and the ever-widening use of currency and credit produced powerful financiers. The emergence of this well-to-do merchant class brought with it a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynamic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynamic" data-type="MW">dynamic</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-culture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">urban culture</a> that found expression in new literary and art forms (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Genroku-period" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Genroku period</a>).</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">While merchants and to a lesser extent tradesmen continued to prosper well into the 18th century, the daimyo and samurai began to experience financial difficulties. Their primary source of income was a fixed stipend tied to agricultural production, which had not kept pace with other sectors of the national economy. Several attempts at fiscal reform were made by the government during the late 18th and 19th centuries, but the financial strain on the warrior class increased as the period progressed. During its final 30 years in power the Tokugawa shogunate had to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="contend" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/contend" data-type="EB">contend</a> with peasant uprisings and samurai unrest as well as with financial problems. These factors, combined with the growing threat of Western encroachment, brought into serious question the continued existence of the regime, and by the 1860s many demanded the restoration of direct imperial rule as a means of unifying the country and solving the prevailing problems. The powerful southwestern <em>tozama</em> domains of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Choshu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chōshū</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Satsuma" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Satsuma</a> exerted the greatest pressure on the Tokugawa government and brought about the overthrow of the last shogun, Hitosubashi Keiki (or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tokugawa-Yoshinobu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yoshinobu</a>), in 1867. Less than a year later the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Meiji" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Meiji</a> emperor was restored to supreme power (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Meiji-Restoration" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Meiji Restoration</a>).</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Meg-Matthias/12593612">Meg Matthias</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":598326,"pageLength":671,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Tokugawa period | Definition & Facts | Britannica