Edo period

The era of Japanese history from 1603 to 1868, when the Tokugawa shogunate governed from Edo, now Tokyo, under the authority of the emperor in Kyoto.

Tokugawa shogunate: The military government that ruled Japan under the Tokugawa family from 1603 to 1868. It was the governing regime that defined the period.
Sengoku period: A period of prolonged political conflict among Japanese warlords, conventionally dated from the mid-15th to late 16th century. Its wars created the conditions for reunification under Tokugawa rule.
Edo: The Tokugawa political capital, which grew into one of the world’s largest cities. The shogunate’s seat became a center of administration, consumption, and urban culture.
Sakoku: The system of Tokugawa restrictions on foreign contact and overseas travel, especially from the 1630s. It limited foreign access without eliminating all trade or information exchange.
Meiji era: The period of Japanese history from 1868 to 1912, when Emperor Meiji’s government pursued rapid modernization. It inherited the country unified under Tokugawa rule while dismantling its old political order.
Sankin-kōtai: The Tokugawa system requiring regional lords to alternate residence between their domains and Edo. This costly obligation kept daimyo close to the shogun and constrained their autonomy.
Battle of Sekigahara: The 1600 battle in which Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated a coalition of rival lords. Its outcome cleared the way for Ieyasu to establish the shogunate.
Osaka: A major Japanese port and commercial city that flourished during the Edo period. Its merchants and rice markets connected regional production to national trade.
Shimabara Rebellion: A 1637–1638 uprising in Kyushu involving largely Christian peasants and oppressed local populations. Its suppression reinforced restrictions on Christianity and foreign contact.
Japanese castle: A fortified structure built for military defense and political administration in Japan. Many surviving castles preserve the regional power centers of the Tokugawa age.

Linked from 90 pages