Edo
Also called: Tokyo · Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
Edo was the city where the Tokugawa shoguns had their seat of power, from 1603 to 1867. The shogun made the daimyo (regional lords) live there for long periods, so the city grew very fast. By the mid-17th century it was the most populous city in the world. In 1868 the shogun was removed and the emperor was brought to Edo. The city became the capital and was renamed Tokyo, which means "eastern capital".
Example
In Tokugawa times, Edo had a lively commercial and print culture. Wood-block printed books could be rented there for about the price of a bowl of noodles. After 1868, as Tokyo, it became the centre of Meiji modernisation. Japan's first railway, built in 1870–72, ran from Tokyo to Yokohama.
Don't confuse with
- Kyoto: For centuries, before 1868, Kyoto was where the emperor lived. Edo was where the shogun held real power. The emperor moved to Edo only in 1868.