Edo

Edo

Giang hộ (えど)
Edo Giang hộ (えど)
Former city
	Folding screenview of Edo in the 17th century, showingEdo Castleon the upper right corner
	Location of the former city of Edo
	Coordinates:35°41′02″N139°46′28″E/ 35.68389°N 139.77444°E
Country	Japan
Province	Musashi
Edo Castlebuilt	1457
Capital of Japan(De facto)	1603
RenamedTokyo	1868
Government
• Type of leader	Feudal government
Population (1721)
• Total	1,000,000

Edo(Japanese:Giang hộ,lit. ' "bay-entrance" or "estuary"'), alsoromanizedasJedo,YedoorYeddo,is theformer nameofTokyo.^[2]

Edo, formerly ajōkamachi(castle town) centered onEdo Castlelocated inMusashi Province,became thede factocapital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of theTokugawa shogunate.Edo grew to become one of thelargest cities in the worldunder the Tokugawa.

After theMeiji Restorationin 1868 theMeiji governmentrenamed Edo asTokyo(Đông Kinh,"Eastern Capital" ) and relocated theEmperorfrom the historic capital ofKyototo the city. The era of Tokugawa rule in Japan from 1603 to 1868 is known as theEdo period.

History

Before Tokugawa

Before the 10th century, there is no mention of Edo in historical records, but for a few settlements in the area. That name for the area first appears in theAzuma Kagamichronicles, being used probably since the second half of theHeian period.Edo's development started in the late 11th century with a branch of the Kanmu-Tairaclan(Hoàn võ bình thị)called the Chichibu clan(Trật phụ thị)coming from the banks of the then-Iruma River,present day upstream of the Arakawa river. A descendant of the head of the Chichibu clan settled in the area and took the name Edo Shigetsugu(Giang hộ trọng 継),likely based on the name used for the place, and founded theEdo clan.Shigetsugu built a fortified residence, probably around the edge of theMusashino Terrace,that would become Edo castle. Shigetsugu's son,Edo Shigenaga(Giang hộ trọng trường),took the Taira's side againstMinamoto no Yoritomoin 1180 but eventually surrendered to Minamoto and became agokeninfor theKamakura shogunate.At the fall of the shogunate in the 14th century, the Edo clan took the side of theSouthern Court,and its influence declined during theMuromachi period.

In 1456, a vassal of the Ōgigayatsu branch of theUesugi clanstarted to build a castle on the former fortified residence of the Edo clan and took the nameŌta Dōkan.Dōkan lived in the castle until his assassination in 1486. Under Dōkan, with good water connections to Kamakura, Odawara and other parts ofKantoand the country, Edo expanded as ajōkamachi,with the castle bordering a cove (nowHibiya Park) opening intoEdo Bay,and the town developing along the Hirakawa River running into the cove, and onEdomaeto(Giang hộ tiền đảo),the stretch of land on the eastern side of the cove (now roughly whereTokyo Stationis). Some priests and scholars fleeing Kyoto after theŌnin Warcame to Edo during that period.

After the death of Dōkan, the castle became one of strongholds of the Uesugi clan, which fell to theLater Hōjō clanat thebattle of Takanawaharain 1524, during the expansion of their rule over the Kantō area. When the Hōjō clan was finally defeated byToyotomi Hideyoshiin 1590, the Kanto area was given to rule to Toyotomi's senior officerTokugawa Ieyasu,who took his residence in Edo.

Tokugawa shogunate

Famous places of Edo in 1803

Tokugawa Ieyasuemerged as the paramount warlord of theSengoku periodfollowing his victory at theBattle of Sekigaharain October 1600. He formally founded the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and established his headquarters atEdo Castle.Edo became the center of political power and thede factocapital of Japan, although the historic capital ofKyotoremained thede jurecapital as the seat of the emperor. Edo grew from a fishing village inMusashi Provincein 1457 into the largestmetropolisin the world, with an estimated population of 1 million by 1721.^[1]^[3]

Scroll depicting the Great Fire of Meireki

Edo was repeatedly devastated by fires, theGreat Fire of Meirekiin 1657 being the most disastrous, with an estimated 100,000 victims and a vast portion of the city completely burnt. The population of Edo was around 300,000,^{[citation needed]}and the impact of the fire was tremendous. The fire destroyed the central keep of Edo Castle, which was never rebuilt, and it influenced the urban planning afterwards to make the city more resilient, with many empty areas to break spreading fires, and wider streets. Reconstruction efforts expanded the city east of the Sumida River, and somedaimyōresidences were relocated to give more space to the city, especially in the immediate vicinity of the shogun's residence, creating a large green space beside the castle, now the Fukiage gardens of theImperial Palace.During the Edo period, there were about 100 major fires, mostly begun by accident and often quickly escalating and spreading through neighborhoods of woodennagayathat were heated with charcoal fires.

Map of Edo in the 1840s

In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown in theMeiji Restorationby supporters ofEmperor Meijiand hisImperial Court in Kyoto,ending Edo's status as thede factocapital of Japan. However, the new Meiji government soon renamed Edo toTōkyō( đông kinh, "Eastern Capital" ) and the city became the formal capital of Japan when the emperor moved his residence to the city.

Urbanism

Very quickly after its inception, the shogunate undertook major works in Edo that drastically changed the topography of the area, notably under the Tenka-Bushin(Thiên hạ phổ thỉnh)nationwide program of major civil works involving the now pacifieddaimyōworkforce. The Hibiya cove facing the castle was soon filled after the arrival of Ieyasu, the Hirakawa river was diverted, and several protective moats and logistical canals were dug (including the Kanda river), to limit the risks of flooding.Landfill workson the bay began, with several areas reclaimed during the duration of the shogunate (notably the Tsukiji area). East of the city and of theSumida River,a massive network of canals was dug.

Fresh water was a major issue, as direct wells would provide brackish water because of the location of the city over an estuary. The few fresh water ponds of the city were put to use, and a network of canals and underground wooden pipes bringing freshwater from the western side of the city and theTama Riverwas built. Some of this infrastructure was used until the 20th century.

General layout of the city

The city was laid out as a castle town around Edo Castle, which was positioned at the tip of theMusashino terrace.The area in the immediate proximity of the castle consisted of samurai anddaimyōresidences, whose families lived in Edo as part of thesankin-kōtaisystem; thedaimyōmade journeys in alternating years to Edo and used the residences for their entourages. The location of each residence was carefully attributed depending on their position astozama,shinpanorfudai.It was this extensive organization of the city for the samurai class which defined the character of Edo, particularly in contrast to the two major cities of Kyoto andOsaka,neither of which were ruled by adaimyōor had a significant samurai population. Kyoto's character was defined by the Imperial Court, thecourt nobles,its Buddhist temples and its history; Osaka was the country's commercial center, dominated by thechōninor the merchant class. On the contrary, the samurai anddaimyōresidences occupied up to 70% of the area of Edo. On the east and northeast sides of the castle lived theShomin(Thứ dân,"regular people" )including thechōninin a much more densely populated area than the samurai class area, organized in a series of gated communities calledmachi( đinh, "town" or "village" ). This area,Shitamachi( hạ đinh, "lower town" or "lower towns" ), was the center of urban and merchant culture. Shomin also lived along the main roads leading in and out of the city. The Sumida River, then called the Great River ( đại xuyên,Ōkawa), ran on the eastern side of the city. The shogunate's official rice-storage warehouses^[4]and other official buildings were located here.

Nihonbashi in Edo,ukiyo-eprint byHiroshige

TheNihonbashibridge(Nhật bổn kiều,lit. "bridge of Japan" )marked the center of the city's commercial center and the starting point of thegokaidō(thus making it the de facto "center of the country" ). Fishermen, craftsmen and other producers and retailers operated here. Shippers managed ships known astarubuneto and from Osaka and other cities, bringing goods into the city or transferring them from sea routes to river barges or land routes.

The northeastern corner of the city was considered dangerous in the traditionalonmyōdōcosmology and was protected from evil by a number of temples includingSensō-jiandKan'ei-ji,one of the two tutelaryBodaijitemples of the Tokugawa. A path and a canal, a short distance north of Sensō-ji, extended west from the Sumida riverbank leading along the northern edge of the city to theYoshiwarapleasure district. Previously located near Ningyōchō, the district was rebuilt in this more remote location after the great fire of Meireki. Danzaemon, the hereditary position head ofeta,or outcasts, who performed "unclean" works in the city resided nearby.

Temples and shrines occupied roughly 15% of the surface of the city, equivalent to the living areas of the townspeople, with however an average of one-tenth of its population. Temples and shrines were spread out over the city. Besides the large concentration in the northeast side to protect the city, the second Bodaiji of the Tokugawa,Zōjō-jioccupied a large area south of the castle.

Housing

Military caste

The samurai anddaimyōsresidential estates varied dramatically in size depending on their status. Some daimyōs could have several of those residences in Edo. The upper residence(Thượng ốc phu,kami-yashiki),was the main residence while the lord was in Edo and was used for official duties. It was not necessarily the largest of his residences, but the most convenient to commute to the castle. The upper residence also acted as the representative embassy of the domain in Edo, connecting the shogunate and the clan. The shogunate did not exercise its investigative powers inside the precincts of the residential estate of the upper residence, which could also act as a refuge. The estate of the upper residence was attributed by the shogunate according to the status of the clan and its relation with the Shogun. The middle residence(Trung ốc phu,naka-yashiki),a bit further from the castle, could house the heir of the lord, his servants from his fief when he was in Edo for thesankin-kotaialternate residency, or be a hiding residence if needed. The lower residence(Hạ ốc phu,shimo-yashiki),if there was any, was on the outskirts of town, more of a pleasure retreat with gardens. The lower residence could also be used as a retreat for the lord if a fire had devastated the city. Some of the powerfuldaimyōsresidences occupied vast grounds of several dozens of hectares. Maintenance and operations of those residential estates could be extremely expensive. Samurai in service of a specific clan would normally live in the residence of their lord.

Thehatamotosamurais, in direct service of the Shogun, would have their own residences, usually located behind the castle on the Western side in theBanchōarea.

Shonin

Typical ''nagaya'' housing district in backstreets

In a strict sense of the word,chōninwere only the townspeople who owned their residence, which was actually a minority. Theshoninpopulation mainly lived in semi-collective housings callednagaya(Trường ốc,litt. "Long house" ),multi-rooms wooden dwellings, organized in enclosedmachi(Đinh,"town" or "village" ),with communal facilities, such as wells connected to the city's fresh water distribution system, garbage collection area and communal bathrooms. A typicalmachiwas of rectangular shape and could have a population of several hundred.

Chōnin-room exhibit at theFukagawa Edo Museum

Themachihad curfew for the night with closing and guarded gates calledkidomon(Mộc hộ môn)opening on the main street(Biểu thông り,omote-dori)in themachi.Two floor buildings and larger shops, reserved to the higher-ranking members of the society, were facing the main street. Amachiwould typically follow a grid pattern and smaller streets,Shinmichi(Tân đạo),were opening on the main street, also with (sometimes) two-floor buildings, shop on the first floor, living quarter on the second floor, for the more well-off residents. Very narrow streets accessible through small gates calledroji(Lộ địa),would enter deeper inside themachi,where single floornagayas,theuranagayas(Lí trường ốc,litt. "backstreet long houses" )were located. Rentals and smaller rooms for lower rankedshoninwere located in those back housings.

Edo was nicknamed the City of 808 machi(Giang hộ bát bách bát đinh,Edo happyaku hacchō),depicting the large number and diversity of those communities, but the actual number was closer to 1,700 by the 18th century.

Edo, 1865 or 1866.Photochromprint. Five albumen prints joined to form a panorama. Photographer:Felice Beato

Government and administration

Edo's municipal government was under the responsibility of therōjū,the senior officials who oversaw the entirebakufu– the government of the Tokugawa shogunate. The administrative definition of Edo was calledGofunai(Ngự phủ nội,litt. "where the government is" ).

TheKanjō-bugyō(finance commissioners) were responsible for the financial matters of the shogunate,^[5]whereas theJisha-Bugyōhandled matters related to shrines and temples. TheMachi-bugyō(Đinh phụng hành)weresamurai(at the very beginning of the shogunatedaimyōs,laterhatamoto) officials appointed to keep the order in the city, with the word designating both the heading magistrate, the magistrature and its organization. They were in charge of Edo's day-to-day administration, combining the role of police, judge and fire brigade. There were two offices, the South Machi-Bugyō and the North Machi-Bugyō, which had the same geographical jurisdiction in spite of their name but rotated roles on a monthly basis. Despite their extensive responsibilities, the teams of the Machi-Bugyō were rather small, with 2 offices of 125 people each. The Machi-Bugyō did not have jurisdiction over the samurai residential areas, which remained under the shogunate direct rule. The geographical jurisdiction of the Machi-Bugyō did not exactly coincide with the Gofunai, creating some complexity on the handling on the matters of the city. The Machi-bugyō oversaw the numerous Machi where shonin lived through representatives calledMachidoshiyori(Đinh niên ký).Each Machi had a Machi leader calledNanushi(Danh chủ),who reported to aMachidoshiyori(Đinh niên ký)who himself was in charge of several Machis.

Notes

^^a ^bSansom, George.A History of Japan: 1615–1867,p. 114.
^US Department of State. (1906).A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements(John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759;excerpt, "The Mikado, on assuming the exercise of power at Yedo, changed the name of the city to Tokio".
^Gordon, Andrew. (2003).A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present,p. 23.
^Taxes, and samurai stipends, were paid not incoin,but in rice. Seekoku.
^Deal, William E. (2007).Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195331264.

References

Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2014).100 Famous Views of Edo.Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B00HR3RHUY
Gordon, Andrew. (2003).A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present.Oxford:Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-511060-9/ISBN 978-0-19-511060-9(cloth);ISBN 0-19-511061-7/ISBN 978-0-19-511061-6.
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956).Kyoto: the Old Capital, 794–1869.Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
Sansom, George.(1963).A History of Japan: 1615–1867.Stanford:Stanford University Press.ISBN 0-8047-0527-5/ISBN 978-0-8047-0527-1.
Akira Naito (Author), Kazuo Hozumi.Edo, the City that Became Tokyo: An Illustrated History.Kodansha International, Tokyo (2003).ISBN 4-7700-2757-5
Alternate spelling from1911Encyclopædia Britannicaarticle.

External links

A Trip to Old Edo
(in Japanese)Fukagawa Edo Museum
Map of Bushū Toshima District, Edofrom 1682

[Sansom-1] Sansom, George.A History of Japan: 1615–1867,p. 114.

[2] US Department of State. (1906).A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements(John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759;excerpt, "The Mikado, on assuming the exercise of power at Yedo, changed the name of the city to Tokio".

[3] Gordon, Andrew. (2003).A Modern History of Japan from Tokugawa Times to the Present,p. 23.

[4] Taxes, and samurai stipends, were paid not incoin,but in rice. Seekoku.

[5] Deal, William E. (2007).Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195331264.

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