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106-656: The Hakone Barrier ( 箱根関 , Hakone Seki ) was a security checkpoint which was established by the Tokugawa Shogunate on the Tōkaidō highway connecting the capital of Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. In 1923, the site was recognized as a National Historic Site . The route of the ancient Tōkaidō highway connecting the Kansai region with the Kantō region of Japan passes through

212-663: A han (feudal domain), although the country was still nominally organized as imperial provinces . Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization, which led to the rise of the merchant class and Ukiyo culture. The Tokugawa shogunate declined during the Bakumatsu period from 1853 and was overthrown by supporters of the Imperial Court in the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The Empire of Japan

318-400: A watari-yagura-mon is built to an adjacent left angle within the kōrai-mon , of which it has two. The other kōrai-mon is to the west of the watari-yagura-mon which was used as the "gates of the unclean" for the deceased and criminals from within the castle. Outside this gate is a wooden bridge with railings crowned with giboshi -ornamental tops. Ōte-mon ( 大手門 , "Great Hand Gate")

424-428: A five-storey keep which was 51 meters (167 ft) in height and was thus the highest castle tower in the whole of Japan, symbolizing the power of the shōgun . The first iteration of the keep and its multiple roofs were constructed in 1607 and ornamented with gold. It was rebuilt in 1623 and again in 1638. The third version of the keep was destroyed in the 1657 Fire of Meireki and not reconstructed. The foundations of

530-456: A growing threat to the stability of the shogunate. As Ōgosho ("Cloistered Shōgun "), he influenced the implementation of laws that banned the practice of Christianity. His successors followed suit, compounding upon Ieyasu's laws. The ban of Christianity is often linked with the creation of the Seclusion laws, or Sakoku , in the 1630s. The late Tokugawa shogunate ( Japanese : 幕末 Bakumatsu )

636-560: A number of buildings were reconstructed based on the foundations discovered and mid-Edo period descriptions. The museum was remodeled in 2013. Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara , ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period following the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate . Ieyasu became the shōgun , and

742-472: A physical examination female travelers to ensure that no woman of rank was attempting the leave the capital without permission. The Hakone Barrier was abolished in 1869 by the new Meiji government along with all similar barriers around the country. The site of the Hakone Barrier was designated a National Historic Site in 1923, and a museum was opened in 1965. The site was excavated from 1999 to 2001, and

848-505: A result, the tax revenues collected by the samurai landowners increasingly declined over time. A 2017 study found that peasant rebellions and desertion lowered tax rates and inhibited state growth in the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, both the shogun and daimyos were hampered by financial difficulties, whereas more wealth flowed to the merchant class. Peasant uprisings and samurai discontent became increasingly prevalent. Some reforms were enacted to attend to these issues such as

954-514: A rural population flow to urban areas. By the Genroku period (1688–1704) Japan saw a period of material prosperity and the blossoming of the arts, such as the early development of ukiyo-e by Moronobu . The reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune (1716–1745) saw poor harvests and a fall in tax revenue in the early 1720s, as a result he pushed for the Kyoho reforms to repair the finances of the bakufu as he believed

1060-641: A three-year period to provide funding for the reconstruction of the temple of Engaku-ji in Kamakura . This practice continued into the Sengoku period , with control of the pass under the Late Hōjō clan . After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate , the Hakone Pass was regarded as of key strategic importance in the outer defenses of Edo Castle . The shogunate built a new shukuba named Hakone-juku and relocated

1166-709: Is a teahouse that was once in the Fukiage garden during the Edo period. After various relocations in the Meiji era, today it is in the modern Ninomaru Garden. The sannomaru ( 三の丸 , third enceinte) is the easternmost enceinte next to the Ninomaru , separated by the Tenjin-bori . Ōte-bori is to the north, running then south is Kikyō-bori . A steep slope, Bairin-zaka ( 梅林坂 ) , runs from eastern Honmaru toward Hirakawa-mon in front of

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1272-525: Is often publicly referred to as "Nijubashi". An eye-witness account is given by the French director François Caron from the Dutch colony at Dejima . He described the gates and courts being laid out in such a manner as to confuse an outsider. Caron noted the gates were not placed in a straight line, but were staggered, forcing a person to make a 90 degree turn to pass on to the next gate. This style of construction for

1378-457: Is the northern gate to the Honmaru ward, facing Kitanomaru ward across Daikan-cho street. It is also constructed as a masu -gate just like Ōte-mon and Hirakawa-mon , and has a watari-yagura-mon in a left angle. The bridge in front of the gate, which was once a drawbridge during the Edo period, is now fixed to the ground. The metal clasps used to draw the bridge are still attached to the roof of

1484-541: Is therefore also known as Chiyoda Castle ( 千代田城 , Chiyoda-jō ) . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate there, and it was the residence of the shōgun and the headquarters of the military government during the Edo period (1603–1867) in Japanese history . After the resignation of the shōgun and the Meiji Restoration , it became the Tokyo Imperial Palace . Some moats , walls and ramparts of

1590-466: Is where the samurai guardsmen were posted to watch over the castle grounds. There is a big stone wall in front of the Dōshin-bansho , which is the foundation of the Ōte-sanno-mon watari-yagura keep. The long building to the left on the southern side of this foundation is the hyakunin-bansho ( 百人番所 ) . The Hyakunin-bansho is so called because it housed a hundred guardsmen closely associated with

1696-566: The Fujimi-tamon still exists. North of the Fujimi-tamon is the ishimuro ( 石室 , "stone cellar") , on a slope. It is about 20 square meters (220 sq ft). Its precise purpose is unknown, but since it is close to the former inner palace storage area, it is believed to have been used for storage of supplies and documents for the shogunate. Shiomi-zaka ( 潮見坂 ) is a slope running alongside today's Imperial Music Department building towards Ninomaru enceinte. In old times apparently

1802-704: The Hakone Mountains , which forms a natural geographic chokepoint in the route. This was recognized from at least as early as the Nara period and there are indications that the Hakone Shrine was built in part to control the narrowest portion of this route. In the Heian period , Taira no Masakado dispatched troops to this location in anticipation of an invasion of government forces into the Kantō region during his revolt. Similarly, during

1908-682: The Imperial Court in Kyoto to the Tokugawa family. While the Emperor officially had the prerogative of appointing the shōgun and received generous subsidies, he had virtually no say in state affairs. The shogunate issued the Laws for the Imperial and Court Officials ( kinchu narabini kuge shohatto 禁中並公家諸法度) to set out its relationship with the Imperial family and the kuge (imperial court officials), and specified that

2014-571: The Jōkyū War of the Kamakura period Hōjō Yoshitoki ordered that a permanent garrison be based at the pass for similar reasons. During the Muromachi period , the jurisdiction over the pass came under the control of the Kamakura-fu and barriers were established mostly for purposes of taxation of travelers. Some of these barriers were temporary, as it is recorded that in 1380, a barrier was established for

2120-485: The Kansei reform (1787–1793) by Matsudaira Sadanobu . He bolstered the bakufu's rice stockpiles and mandated daimyos to follow suit. He cut down urban spending, allocated reserves for potential famines, and urged city-dwelling peasants to return to rural areas. By 1800, Japan included five cities with over 100,000 residents, and three among the world's twenty cities that had more than 300,000 inhabitants. Edo likely claimed

2226-579: The Sannomaru was an outer moat, enclosing the Otomachi and Daimyō-Kōji districts. Ishigaki stone walls were constructed around the Honmaru and the eastern side of the Nishinomaru . Each ward could be reached via wooden bridges, which were buffered by gates on either side. The circumference is subject to debate, with estimates ranging from 6 to 10 miles. With the enforcement of the sankin-kōtai system in

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2332-465: The Siege of Odawara . Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo Castle his base after he was offered eight eastern provinces by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . He later defeated Toyotomi Hideyori , son of Hideyoshi, at the Siege of Osaka in 1615, and emerged as the political leader of Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu received the title of Sei-i Taishōgun in 1603, and Edo became the center of Tokugawa's administration. Initially, parts of

2438-437: The Tokugawa clan governed Japan from Edo Castle in the eastern city of Edo ( Tokyo ) along with the daimyō lords of the samurai class. The Tokugawa shogunate organized Japanese society under the strict Tokugawa class system and banned most foreigners under the isolationist policies of Sakoku to promote political stability. The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan in a feudal system, with each daimyō administering

2544-476: The gundai ( 郡代 ), the daikan ( 代官 ) and the kura bugyō ( 蔵奉行 ), as well as hearing cases involving samurai. The gundai managed Tokugawa domains with incomes greater than 10,000 koku while the daikan managed areas with incomes between 5,000 and 10,000 koku. The shogun directly held lands in various parts of Japan. These were known as shihaisho (支配所); since the Meiji period, the term tenryō ( 天領 , literally "Emperor's land") has become synonymous, because

2650-479: The han and the court in Edo. During their absences from Edo, it was also required that they leave their family as hostages until their return. The hostages and the huge expenditure sankin-kōtai imposed on each han helped to ensure loyalty to the shōgun . By the 1690s, the vast majority of daimyos would be born in Edo, and most would consider it their homes. Some daimyos had little interest in their domains and needed to be begged to return "home". In return for

2756-442: The jisha , kanjō , and machi-bugyō , which respectively oversaw temples and shrines , accounting, and the cities. The jisha-bugyō had the highest status of the three. They oversaw the administration of Buddhist temples ( ji ) and Shinto shrines ( sha ), many of which held fiefs. Also, they heard lawsuits from several land holdings outside the eight Kantō provinces. The appointments normally went to daimyōs ; Ōoka Tadasuke

2862-463: The kōrai -mon and its walls, and the Ōte-mon was reconstructed. The tatsumi-yagura ( 巽櫓 ) , also known as sakurada-yagura ( 桜田櫓 ) , is a two-story high keep at the easternmost corner of the Sannomaru and the only keep still remaining in it. One of the few gates left of the Ninomaru is the kikyō-mon ( 桔梗門 ) , which is also known as the Inner Sakurada-mon , as opposed to

2968-408: The rōjū to a more distant part of the castle. Some of the most famous soba yōnin were Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu and Tanuma Okitsugu . The ōmetsuke and metsuke were officials who reported to the rōjū and wakadoshiyori . The five ōmetsuke were in charge of monitoring the affairs of the daimyōs , kuge and imperial court. They were in charge of discovering any threat of rebellion. Early in

3074-427: The sankin-kōtai system ensured that daimyōs or their family were always in Edo, observed by the shogun. The shogunate had the power to discard, annex, and transform domains, although they were rarely and carefully exercised after the early years of the shogunate, to prevent daimyōs from banding together. The sankin-kōtai system of alternative residence required each daimyō to reside in alternate years between

3180-512: The shōgun to move into a daimyō residence. The last fire occurred in 1873, after which the palace was not rebuilt by the new imperial government. Behind the Honmaru Palace was the main keep. Besides being the location of the keep and palace, the Honmaru was also the site of the treasury. Three storehouses that bordered on a rampart adjoined the palace on the other side. The entrance was small, made with thick lumber and heavily guarded. Behind

3286-410: The shōgun . Under the wakadoshiyori were the metsuke . Some shōguns appointed a soba yōnin . This person acted as a liaison between the shōgun and the rōjū . The soba yōnin increased in importance during the time of the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi , when a wakadoshiyori, Inaba Masayasu , assassinated Hotta Masatoshi , the tairō . Fearing for his personal safety, Tsunayoshi moved

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3392-455: The treaty ports of Nagasaki and Kanagawa (Yokohama). Source: Over the course of the Edo period, influential relatives of the shogun included: Edo Castle Edo Castle ( 江戸城 , Edo-jō ) is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo , Toshima District, Musashi Province . In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda , Tokyo , and

3498-638: The ōmetsuke evolved into one of passing orders from the shogunate to the daimyōs , and of administering to ceremonies within Edo Castle. They also took on additional responsibilities such as supervising religious affairs and controlling firearms. The metsuke , reporting to the wakadoshiyori , oversaw the affairs of the vassals of the shōgun . They were the police force for the thousands of hatamoto and gokenin who were concentrated in Edo. Individual han had their own metsuke who similarly policed their samurai. The san- bugyō (三奉行 "three administrators") were

3604-463: The "restoration" ( 王政復古 , Ōsei fukko ) of imperial rule. Some loyal retainers of the shogun continued to fight during the Boshin war that followed but were eventually defeated in the notable Battle of Toba–Fushimi . The bakuhan system ( bakuhan taisei 幕藩体制 ) was the feudal political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku is an abbreviation of bakufu , meaning " military government "—that is,

3710-478: The (Outer) Sakurada-mon in the south. The architecture of the tower is a gate and in the kōrai style. The nishinomaru ( 西の丸 , western ward) was the location of the palaces and residences of the retired shōgun and the heir-apparent for a while. The outer part of the Nishinomaru to the east (today's Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace) was the site of various residences of daimyōs . The Nishinomaru

3816-468: The 17th century, it became expedient for the daimyōs to set up residence in Edo close to the shōgun . Surrounding the inner compounds of the castle were the residences of daimyōs , most of which were concentrated at the Outer Sakurada Gate to the south-east and in the Ōtemachi and Daimyō-Kōji districts east of the castle inside the outer moat. Some residences were also within the inner moats in

3922-407: The Edo period, daimyōs such as Yagyū Munefuyu held the office. Soon, however, it fell to hatamoto with rankings of 5,000 koku or more. To give them authority in their dealings with daimyōs , they were often ranked at 10,000 koku and given the title of kami (an ancient title, typically signifying the governor of a province ) such as Bizen-no-kami . As time progressed, the function of

4028-417: The Edo period. They were ranked by size, which was measured as the number of koku of rice that the domain produced each year. One koku was the amount of rice necessary to feed one adult male for one year. The minimum number for a daimyō was ten thousand koku ; the largest, apart from the shōgun , was more than a million koku . The main policies of the shogunate on the daimyos included: Although

4134-488: The Emperor should dedicate to scholarship and poetry. The shogunate also appointed a liaison, the Kyoto Shoshidai ( Shogun's Representative in Kyoto ), to deal with the Emperor, court and nobility. Towards the end of the shogunate, however, after centuries of the Emperor having very little say in state affairs and being secluded in his Kyoto palace , and in the wake of the reigning shōgun , Tokugawa Iemochi , marrying

4240-521: The Kan-ei era (1624–1644). Surrounding the Honmaru were curtain walls, with 11 keeps, 15 defense houses and more than 20 gates. Honmaru was destroyed several times by fire and reconstructed after each fire. The keep and main palace were destroyed in 1657 and 1863, respectively, and not reconstructed. Some remains, such as the Fujimi-yagura keep and Fujimi-tamon defense house, still exist. The Honmaru

4346-577: The Sunpu government's cabinet was consisted of trusted vassals of Ieyasu which was not included in Hidetada's cabinet. including William Adams (samurai) and Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn , which Ieyasu entrusted with foreign affairs and diplomacy. The earliest structure of Edo Shogunate organization has Buke Shitsuyaku as the highest rank. the earliest members of this office were Ii Naomasa , Sakakibara Yasumasa , and Honda Tadakatsu . The personal vassals of

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4452-455: The Tokugawa clan in the Battle of Sekigahara had their estate reduced substantially. They were often placed in mountainous or far away areas, or placed between most trusted daimyos. Early in the Edo period, the shogunate viewed the tozama as the least likely to be loyal; over time, strategic marriages and the entrenchment of the system made the tozama less likely to rebel. In the end, however, it

4558-531: The Tokugawa clan. The large stone wall in front of the Hyakunin-bansho is all that is left of the Naka-no-mon watari-yagura (Inner Gate Keep). This building to the inner-right side of the gate is the Ō-bansho ( 大番所 ) . As the Honmaru enceinte was said to begin right behind the Naka-no-mon gate, the Ō-bansho probably played a key role in the security of Edo Castle. The Suwa-no-Chaya ( 諏訪の茶屋 )

4664-414: The Tokugawa shoguns were classified into two groups: By the early 18th century, out of around 22,000 personal vassals, most would have received stipends rather than domains. The rōjū ( 老中 ) were normally the most senior members of the shogunate. Normally, four or five men held the office, and one was on duty for a month at a time on a rotating basis. They supervised the ōmetsuke (who checked on

4770-530: The addition of the Nishinomaru , Nishinomaru-shita , Fukiage , and Kitanomaru areas. The perimeter measured 16 km. The shōgun required the daimyō s to supply building materials or finances, a method shogunate used to keep the powers of the daimyō s in check. Large granite stones were moved from afar, the size and number of the stones depended on the wealth of the daimyō s. The wealthier ones had to contribute more. Those who did not supply stones were required to contribute labor for such tasks as digging

4876-416: The area were lying under water. The sea reached the present Nishinomaru area of Edo Castle, and Hibiya was a beach. The landscape was changed for the construction of the castle. Most construction started in 1593 and was completed in 1636 under Ieyasu's grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu . By this time, Edo had a population of 150,000. The existing Honmaru , Ninomaru , and Sannomaru areas were extended with

4982-548: The capital as hostages. In 1616, there was a failed attempt of the invasion of Taiwan by a Shogunate subject named Murayama Tōan . A long period of peace occurred between the Siege of Osaka in 1615 and the Keian Uprising in 1651. This period saw the bakufu prioritise civil administration, while civil society witnessed a surge in trade and industrial activities. Trade under the reign of Ieyasu saw much new wealth created by mining and goods manufacturing, which resulted in

5088-465: The castle had 38 gates. The ramparts were almost 20 meters (66 ft) high and the outer walls were 12 meters (39 ft) high. Moats forming roughly concentric circles were dug for further protection. Some moats reached as far as Ichigaya and Yotsuya , and parts of the ramparts survive to this day. This area is bordered by either the sea or the Kanda River, allowing ships access. Various fires over

5194-542: The castle survive to this day. However, the grounds were more extensive during the Edo period, with Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi section of the city lying within the outermost moat. It also encompassed Kitanomaru Park , the Nippon Budokan Hall and other current landmarks of the surrounding area. The warrior Edo Shigetsugu built his residence in what is now the Honmaru and Ninomaru part of Edo Castle, around

5300-484: The centralization, peace among the daimyos was maintained; unlike in the Sengoku period , daimyos no longer worried about conflicts with one another. In addition, hereditary succession was guaranteed as internal usurpations within domains were not recognized by the shogunate. The Tokugawa clan further ensured loyalty by maintaining a dogmatic insistence on loyalty to the shōgun . Daimyos were classified into three main categories: The tozama daimyos who fought against

5406-461: The centuries damaged or destroyed parts of the castle, Edo and the majority of its buildings being made of timber. On April 21, 1701, in the Great Pine Corridor ( Matsu no Ōrōka ) of Edo Castle, Asano Takumi-no-kami drew his short sword and attempted to kill Kira Kōzuke-no-suke for insulting him. This triggered the events involving the forty-seven rōnin . After the capitulation of

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5512-408: The country, particularly smaller regions, daimyō, and samurai were more or less identical, since daimyō might be trained as samurai, and samurai might act as local rulers. The largely inflexible nature of this social stratification system unleashed disruptive forces over time. Taxes on the peasantry were set at fixed amounts that did not account for inflation or other changes in monetary value. As

5618-531: The daimyos), machi - bugyō (commissioners of administrative and judicial functions in major cities, especially Edo), ongoku bugyō  [ ja ] (遠国奉行, the commissioners of other major cities and shogunate domains) and other officials, oversaw relations with the Imperial Court in Kyoto , kuge (members of the nobility), daimyō, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines , and attended to matters like divisions of fiefs . Other bugyō (commissioners) in charge of finances, monasteries and shrines also reported to

5724-512: The end of the Heian period (794–1185) or beginning of the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The Edo clan left in the 15th century as a result of uprisings in the Kantō region , and Ōta Dōkan , a retainer of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi family , built Edo Castle in 1457. The castle came under the control of the Later Hōjō clan in 1524 after the Siege of Edo . The castle was vacated in 1590 due to

5830-493: The gardens of the shōgun and his court were constructed around the castle keep in the Honmaru area. It consisted of a series of low-level buildings, connected by corridors and congregating around various gardens, courtyards or lying detached, similar to the structures that can be seen in Nijō Castle in Kyoto today. These structures were used for either residential or governmental purposes such as audiences. The Honmaru Palace

5936-410: The gate. The main keep or tower (known as the tenshu-dai ( 天守台 ) ) was in the northern corner of the Honmaru ward. Kitahanebashi-mon is right next to it and was one of the main gateways to this innermost part. The measurements are 41 meters (135 ft) in width from east to west, 45 meters (148 ft) in length from north to south, and 11 meters (36 ft) in height. The castle once had

6042-569: The inner moats are well maintained and used as security check points. In old days, "Ote-mon" was the main gate and the most heavily armed. There were 3 more gates you would go through after "Ote-mon" to reach the Shogun 's residents . Today, "Nishinomaru-mon" is the main entrance to the Palace. However, the twin bridge "Nijubashi" in front of it is more famous than the gate itself, thus the Palace Entrance

6148-421: The keep that survive today were built in preparation for reconstructing the keep, but were never used. Despite this, jidaigeki movies (such as Abarenbō Shōgun ) set in Edo usually depict Edo Castle as having a keep, and substitute Himeji Castle for that purpose. A non-profit "Rebuilding Edo-jo Association" (NPO江戸城再建) was founded in 2004 with the aim of a historically correct reconstruction of at least

6254-401: The large moats and flattening hills. The earth that was taken from the moats was used as landfill for sea-reclamation or to level the ground. Thus the construction of Edo Castle laid the foundation for parts of the city where merchants were able to settle. At least 10,000 men were involved in the first phase of the construction and more than 300,000 in the middle phase. When construction ended,

6360-472: The large stone walls overlooking to the Hasuike-bori (Lotus-growing moat). Weapons and tools were stored here. During the Edo period, double and triple keeps ( yagura ) were constructed at strategic points on top of the stone wall surrounding the Honmaru . In between each keep, a defense house (called tamon ) was erected for defensive purposes. There were once 15 of these houses in the Honmaru , of which only

6466-410: The main gates is called masugata (meaning "square"). As noted by Caron, the gate consisted of a square-shaped courtyard or enclosure and a two-story gatehouse which is entered via three roofed kōrai-mon . The watari-yagura-mon was constructed at adjacent angles to each side within the gate. All major gates had large timbers that framed the main entry point and were constructed to impress and proclaim

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6572-460: The main keep. In March 2013 Naotaka Kotake, head of the group, said that "The capital city needs a symbolic building", and that the group planned to collect donations and signatures on a petition in the hope of having the tower rebuilt. A reconstruction blueprint had been made based on old documents. The Imperial Household Agency had not indicated whether it would support the project. The residential Honmaru Palace ( 本丸御殿 , honmaru-goten ) and

6678-429: The main purpose of the Hakone Barrier was security, especially the enforcement of the shogunate's regulations on transportation of weapons into Edo and the travel of women out of Edo. As the wives and families of the various daimyō were required to remain in Edo as hostages to the shogunate, this latter regulation was strictly enforced. Out of the staff of 20 people manning the barrier, several were women who performed

6784-567: The main vector of trade exchanges, followed by the addition of Dutch, English, and sometimes Spanish ships. From 1603 onward, Japan started to participate actively in foreign trade. In 1615, an embassy and trade mission under Hasekura Tsunenaga was sent across the Pacific to Nueva España (New Spain) on the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Bautista . Until 1635, the Shogun issued numerous permits for

6890-535: The might of the shogunate. Accounts of how many armed men served at Edo Castle vary. The Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco gave an eye-witness account in 1608–1609, describing the huge stones that made up the walls and a large number of people at the castle. He claimed to have seen 20,000 servants between the first gate and the shōgun ' s palace. He passed through two ranks of 1,000 soldiers armed with muskets , and by

6996-407: The military aristocracy was losing its power against the rich merchants and landowners. Society in the Tokugawa period , unlike in previous shogunates, was supposedly based on the strict class hierarchy originally established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . The daimyō (lords) were at the top, followed by the warrior-caste of samurai, with the farmers, artisans, and traders ranking below. In some parts of

7102-478: The most powerful han , the hereditary fief of the House of Tokugawa, which also included many gold and silver mines. Towards the end of the shogunate, the Tokugawa clan held around 7 million koku of land (天領 tenryō), including 2.6–2.7 million koku held by direct vassals, out of 30 million in the country. The other 23 million koku were held by other daimyos. The number of han (roughly 270) fluctuated throughout

7208-406: The office, and alternated by month. Three Edo machi bugyō have become famous through jidaigeki (period films): Ōoka Tadasuke and Tōyama Kagemoto (Kinshirō) as heroes, and Torii Yōzō ( ja:鳥居耀蔵 ) as a villain. The san-bugyō together sat on a council called the hyōjōsho (評定所). In this capacity, they were responsible for administering the tenryō (the shogun's estates), supervising

7314-453: The offices close to the shōgun , such as soba yōnin  [ ja ] (側用人), Kyoto Shoshidai , and Osaka jōdai . Irregularly, the shōguns appointed a rōjū to the position of tairō (great elder). The office was limited to members of the Ii , Sakai , Doi , and Hotta clans , but Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was given the status of tairō as well. Among the most famous was Ii Naosuke , who

7420-489: The old Edo Castle on the night of May 5, 1873. The area around the old keep, which burned in the 1657 Meireki fire , became the site of the new Imperial Palace Castle ( 宮城 , Kyūjō ) , built in 1888. Some Tokugawa-period buildings which were still standing were destroyed to make space for new structures for the imperial government. The imperial palace building itself, however, was constructed in Nishinomaru Ward, not in

7526-401: The old pond left from the Edo period. Only the Hyakunin-bansho and Dōshin-bansho are still standing. The dōshin-bansho ( 同心番所 ) is a guardhouse. A big guardhouse was within the Ōte-mon where today's security is. The passageway proceeding west from the guardhouse becomes narrower within the stone walls on both sides. The dōshin-bansho is on the right side past this passageway. This

7632-472: The outer Nishinomaru . The mansions were large and very elaborate, with no expenses spared to construct palaces with Japanese gardens and multiple gates. Each block had four to six of the mansions, which were surrounded by ditches for drainage. Daimyōs with lesser wealth were allowed to set up their houses, called banchō , to the north and west of the castle. To the east and south of the castle were sections that were set aside for merchants, since this area

7738-523: The pro-imperialist Ishin Shishi ( nationalist patriots ) and the shogunate forces; aside from the dominant two groups, other factions attempted to use the chaos of the Bakumatsu era to seize personal power. An alliance of daimyos and the emperor, succeeded in overthrowing the shogunate, which came to an official end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa shogun , Tokugawa Yoshinobu , leading to

7844-491: The rōjū. The roju conferred on especially important matters. In the administrative reforms of 1867 ( Keiō Reforms ), the office was eliminated in favor of a bureaucratic system with ministers for the interior, finance, foreign relations, army, and navy. In principle, the requirements for appointment to the office of rōjū were to be a fudai daimyō and to have a fief assessed at 50 000 koku or more. However, there were exceptions to both criteria. Many appointees came from

7950-549: The same location as the shōgun ' s palace in Honmaru Ward. The site suffered substantial damage during World War II and in the destruction of Tokyo in 1945. Today the site is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace . The government declared the area an historic site and has undertaken steps to restore and preserve the remaining structures of Edo Castle. The plan of Edo Castle was not only large but elaborate. The grounds were divided into various wards , or citadels. The Honmaru

8056-514: The sea could be seen from here, therefore its name. At the foot of the Shiomi-zaka on the eastern side of the Honmaru lies the Ninomaru ( 二の丸 , second enceinte) of Edo Castle. A palace for the heirs of the Tokugawa shōguns was constructed in 1639 in the west area (Western Perimeter) and in 1630 it is reported that a garden designed by Kobori Enshū , who was the founder of Japanese landscaping,

8162-516: The second gate he was escorted by 400 armed men. He passed stables that apparently had room for 200 horses and an armory that stored enough weapons for 100,000 men. The Honmaru ( 本丸 , also spelled Hommaru ) was the central, innermost part of the castle containing the keep and residence of the shōgun . The stately and luxurious main buildings of the Honmaru , consisting of the outer, central, and inner halls, were said to have covered an area of 33,000 square meters (360,000 sq ft) during

8268-566: The shogun issued certain laws, such as the buke shohatto on the daimyōs and the rest of the samurai class, each han administered its autonomous system of laws and taxation . The shōgun did not interfere in a han 's governance unless major incompetence (such as large rebellions) was shown, nor were central taxes issued. Instead, each han provided feudal duties, such as maintaining roads and official courier stations, building canals and harbors, providing troops, and relieving famines. Daimyōs were strategically placed to check each other, and

8374-639: The shogun's lands were returned to the emperor. In addition to the territory that Ieyasu held prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, this included lands he gained in that battle and lands gained as a result of the Summer and Winter Sieges of Osaka . Major cities as Nagasaki and Osaka, and mines , including the Sado gold mine , also fell into this category. The gaikoku bugyō were administrators appointed between 1858 and 1868. They were charged with overseeing trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries, and were based in

8480-458: The shogunate in 1867, the inhabitants and shōgun had to vacate the premises. The castle compound was renamed Tokyo Castle ( 東京城 , Tōkei-jō ) in October, 1868, and then renamed Imperial Castle ( 皇城 , Kōjō ) in 1869. In the year Meiji 2 (1868), on the 23rd day of the 10th month of the Japanese calendar the emperor moved to Tokyo and Edo castle became an imperial palace. A fire consumed

8586-468: The shogunate in Edo and the daimyōs with domains throughout Japan. The shōgun and lords were all daimyōs : feudal lords with their own bureaucracies, policies, and territories. Provinces had a degree of sovereignty and were allowed an independent administration of the han in exchange for loyalty to the shōgun , who was responsible for foreign relations, national security, coinage, weights, measures, and transportation. The shōgun also administered

8692-562: The shogunate, yielding a huge profit. Foreign trade was also permitted to the Satsuma and the Tsushima domains . Rice was the main trading product of Japan during this time. Isolationism was the foreign policy of Japan and trade was strictly controlled. Merchants were outsiders to the social hierarchy of Japan and were thought to be greedy. The visits of the Nanban ships from Portugal were at first

8798-463: The shogunate. The han were the domains headed by daimyō . Beginning from Ieyasu's appointment as shogun in 1603, but especially after the Tokugawa victory in Osaka in 1615, various policies were implemented to assert the shogunate's control, which severely curtailed the daimyos' independence. The number of daimyos varied but stabilized at around 270. The bakuhan system split feudal power between

8904-489: The sister of Emperor Kōmei (r. 1846–1867), in 1862, the Imperial Court in Kyoto began to enjoy increased political influence. The Emperor would occasionally be consulted on various policies and the shogun even made a visit to Kyoto to visit the Emperor. Government administration would be formally returned from the shogun to the Emperor during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Foreign affairs and trade were monopolized by

9010-489: The site of the Hakone Barrier to the shore of Lake Ashi . For most of its existence, the barrier was operated for the shogunate by Odawara Domain . Physically, the barrier consisted of a pair of wooden gates on the highway, separated by a distance of 18 meters. The area in between the gates was flanked by buildings on both side, where travelers were required to submit their travel permits, goods were examined, and taxes were levied on commercial travelers with merchandise. However,

9116-667: The so-called " red seal ships " destined for the Asian trade. After 1635 and the introduction of seclusion laws ( sakoku ), inbound ships were only allowed from China , Korea , and the Netherlands . The primary source of the shogunate's income was the tax (around 40%) levied on harvests in the Tokugawa clan's personal domains (tenryō). No taxes were levied on domains of daimyos, who instead provided military duty, public works and corvee . The shogunate obtained loans from merchants, which were sometimes seen as forced donations, although commerce

9222-549: The title of the world's most populous city, housing over one million people. Followers of Catholic christians first began appearing in Japan during the 16th century. Oda Nobunaga embraced Christianity and the Western technology that was imported with it, such as the musket. He also saw it as a tool he could use to suppress Buddhist forces. Though Christianity was allowed to grow until the 1610s, Tokugawa Ieyasu soon began to see it as

9328-532: The today's Archives and Mausolea Department building. It is said that Ōta Dōkan planted several hundred plum trees in 1478 in dedication to Sugawara no Michizane . Dōkan is said to have built the Sanno-Gongendō here, where two shrines were when the Tokugawa clan occupied the site. With the erection of the Honmaru of Edo Castle, the shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane was moved to Kojimachi Hirakawa-chō and later became known as Hirakawa Shrine . Sanno Shrine

9434-430: The upper steel bridge of Nijūbashi ) and Tatsumi-nijyu-yagura (at the corner of Kikyō-bori moat next to Kikyō-mon gate). It is also called the "all-front-sided" keep because all sides look the same from all directions. It is believed that once Mount Fuji could be seen from this keep, hence the name. Since the main keep of Edo Castle was destroyed in 1657 and not reconstructed, the Fujimi-yagura took on its role and

9540-407: The wall was a deep drop to the moat below, making the area secure. The Fujimi-yagura ( 富士見櫓 , "Mount Fuji-viewing keep ") stands in the south-eastern corner of the Honmaru enceinte and is three storeys high. Fujimi-yagura is one of only three remaining keeps of the inner citadel of Edo Castle, from a total number of originally eleven. The other remaining keeps are Fushimi-yagura (next to

9646-494: Was an exception, though he later became a daimyō . The kanjō-bugyō were next in status. The four holders of this office reported to the rōjū . They were responsible for the finances of the shogunate. The machi-bugyō were the chief city administrators of Edo and other cities. Their roles included mayor, chief of the police (and, later, also of the fire department), and judge in criminal and civil matters not involving samurai. Two (briefly, three) men, normally hatamoto, held

9752-536: Was an important building after being constructed in 1659 during the Edo period. About 150–160 meters (490–520 ft) north of the Fujimi-yagura is the former site of the Matsu no Ōrōka corridor, scene of dramatic events in 1701 that led to the forty-seven rōnin incident. The Fujimi-tamon ( 富士見多聞 ) defense house is about 120–130 meters (390–430 ft) north from the Matsu no Ōrōka . This defense house sits on top of

9858-476: Was assassinated in 1860 outside the Sakuradamon Gate of Edo Castle ( Sakuradamon incident ). Three to five men titled the wakadoshiyori (若年寄) were next in status below the rōjū. An outgrowth of the early six-man rokuninshū (六人衆, 1633–1649), the office took its name and final form in 1662. Their primary responsibility was management of the affairs of the hatamoto and gokenin , the direct vassals of

9964-408: Was committed to retaining the daimyos and the han (domains) as components under his new shogunate. Daimyos who sided with Ieyasu were rewarded, and some of Ieyasu's former vassals were made daimyos and were located strategically throughout the country. The sankin-kotai policy, in an effort to constrain rebellions by the daimyos, mandated the housing of wives and children of the daimyos in

10070-403: Was considered unsuitable for residences. The entertainment district Yoshiwara was also there. Edo Castle was protected by multiple large and small wooden gates ( mon ), constructed in-between the gaps of the stone wall. There were 36 major gates . Not many are left on the outer moats , because they were a traffic hazard. Since the central quarter is now Tokyo Imperial Palace , some gates on

10176-846: Was established under the Meiji government , and Tokugawa loyalists continued to fight in the Boshin War until the defeat of the Republic of Ezo at the Battle of Hakodate in June 1869. Following the Sengoku period ("Warring States period"), the central government had been largely re-established by Oda Nobunaga during the Azuchi–Momoyama period . After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, central authority fell to Tokugawa Ieyasu. While many daimyos who fought against him were extinguished or had their holdings reduced, Ieyasu

10282-465: Was first moved to Momijiyama of Edo Castle and became its tutelary shrine but was moved again. Today it is known as Hie Shrine . Hirakawa-mon ( 平川門 ) is said to have been the main gate to the Sannomaru of Edo Castle. It is also said to have been the side gate for maidservants and therefore called the Otsubone-mon . The shape of this gate is in the masugata , similar to the Ōte-mon . However

10388-466: Was in the center, with the Ninomaru (second compound), Sannomaru (third compound) extending to the east; the Nishinomaru (west compound) flanked by Nishinomaru-shita (outer section) and Fukiage (firebreak compound); and the Kitanomaru (north compound). The different wards were divided by moats and large stone walls, on which various keeps , defense houses and towers were built. To the east, beyond

10494-538: Was often not taxed. Special levies were also imposed for infrastructure-building. During the earliest years of the Tokugawa shogunate institution, when Tokugawa Hidetada coronated as the second shogun and Ieyasu retired, they formed a dual governments, where Hidetada controlled the official court with the government central located in Edo city, Ieyasu, who now became the Ōgosho (retired shogun), also control his own informal shadow government which called "Sunpu government" with its center at Sunpu Castle . The membership of

10600-405: Was one story high, and consisted of three sections: Various fires destroyed the Honmaru Palace over time and was rebuilt after each fire. In the span from 1844 to 1863, Honmaru experienced three fires. After each fire, the shōgun moved to the Nishinomaru residences for the time being until reconstruction was complete. However, in 1853 both the Honmaru and Nishinomaru burned down, forcing

10706-574: Was severely damaged twice, in 1703 and 1855 , by strong earthquakes, and reconstructed to stand until the Meiji era. Several repairs were conducted after the Meiji era, but the damage caused by the September 1923 Great Kantō earthquake lead to the dismantling of the watari-yagura (渡り櫓) and rebuilding of the stone walls on each side of the gate in 1925. The watari-yagura was burnt down completely during World War II on April 30, 1945. Restoration took place from October 1965 through March 1967, to repair

10812-460: Was still the great tozama of Satsuma , Chōshū and Tosa , and to a lesser extent Saga , that brought down the shogunate. These four states are called the Four Western Clans, or Satchotohi for short. Regardless of the political title of the Emperor, the shōguns of the Tokugawa family controlled Japan. The shogunate secured a nominal grant of administration ( 体制 , taisei ) by

10918-569: Was surrounded by moats on all sides. To the north separating Honmaru from the Kitanomaru were the Inui-bori and Hirakawa-bori , to the east separating the Ninomaru was the Hakuchō-bori , and to the west and south separating the Nishinomaru were the Hasuike-bori and Hamaguri-bori . Most of these still exist, although the Hakuchō-bori has partly been filled in since the Meiji era. Kitahanebashi- mon ( 北桔橋門 , "Northern Drawbridge Gate")

11024-506: Was the main gate of the castle. During the reign of the second Tokugawa shōgun Hidetada , the castle underwent repairs in the 1620s and the gate is said to have taken its present form at this time, with the help of Date Masamune , lord of Sendai Castle, and Soma Toshitane , lord of Nakamura Castle. A fire in Edo destroyed the Ōte-mon in January 1657, but was reconstructed in November 1658. It

11130-481: Was the period between 1853 and 1867, during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy called sakoku and modernized from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government . The 1850s saw growing resentment by the tozama daimyōs and anti-Western sentiment following the arrival of a U.S. Navy fleet under the command of Matthew C. Perry (which led to the forced opening of Japan). The major ideological and political factions during this period were divided into

11236-443: Was to its south-east. Several fires destroyed whatever stood here and it was not reconstructed. Aside from the Honmaru palace, the Ninomaru was surrounded by 7 keeps, 8 defense houses, approximately 10 gates and other guardhouses. The Tenjin-bori separates a part of the Ninomaru to the Sannomaru . Several renovations were carried out over the years until the Meiji era. A completely new garden has been laid out since then around

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