The Tokugawa Shogunate was a feudal Japanese military government which existed between 1600-1968. The heads of government were the shoguns and each was a member of the Tokugawa clan and ruled from the Edo Castle. Following the Sengoku Period of ‘warring states’, central government had been largely re-established by Nobunaga. During this period, unlike the shogunate’s before it, a strict class of hierarchy was established by Hideyoshi which laid out the position of all people in society. The Tokugawa family rose to power in 1603, after a period of warring states and political intrigue destabilized Japan. The family ruled from Edo castle and based its source of power on a very rigid social hierarchy with minimal mobility between classes.
During this 'Edo Period', the shogunate erected the Closed Country Edict which prohibited all foreign travel for Japanese and foreign visitors were restricted to an artificial island in Nagasaki Harbour. This period of isolation cut Japan off from the rest of the world.The warrior samurai held the most power, followed by farmers, artisans, and traders. Land was controlled by daimyo, or feudal lords, who collected taxes and military service from their peasant vassals. This ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate, because most taxes were fixed and did not take inflation into account, leading to poverty and bitter battles among the ruling classes.
By the end of the 19th century, an alliance of powerful daimyo and the Emperor succeeded in overthrowing the Shogunate culminating in the Meiji Restoration. The Tokugawa Shogunate came to an official end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa Shogunate Yoshiunobu and the ‘restoration’ of imperial rule occurred.
Despite this, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate brought Japan the longest period of peace and stability in its history, lasting well over 200 years. Between 1603 and 1868, there were 15 main Tokugawa shoguns, the first being Tokugawa Ieyassu, and the last being Yoshiunobu.
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During this 'Edo Period', the shogunate erected the Closed Country Edict which prohibited all foreign travel for Japanese and foreign visitors were restricted to an artificial island in Nagasaki Harbour. This period of isolation cut Japan off from the rest of the world.The warrior samurai held the most power, followed by farmers, artisans, and traders. Land was controlled by daimyo, or feudal lords, who collected taxes and military service from their peasant vassals. This ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate, because most taxes were fixed and did not take inflation into account, leading to poverty and bitter battles among the ruling classes.
By the end of the 19th century, an alliance of powerful daimyo and the Emperor succeeded in overthrowing the Shogunate culminating in the Meiji Restoration. The Tokugawa Shogunate came to an official end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa Shogunate Yoshiunobu and the ‘restoration’ of imperial rule occurred.
Despite this, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate brought Japan the longest period of peace and stability in its history, lasting well over 200 years. Between 1603 and 1868, there were 15 main Tokugawa shoguns, the first being Tokugawa Ieyassu, and the last being Yoshiunobu.
(302 words)