Once a sleepy castle town, Edo continued to grow in size and importance over the centuries, becoming the capital of Japan and renamed Tokyo in 1868. Today it is the largest metropolitan area in the world, and a powerhouse of industry, innovation, and creativity.
t A panoramic map of Tokyo, 1883.
From the founding of the town’s first castle in 1170, right up to the late 16th century, the town of Edo was little more than a small fishing settlement. That all changed when Edo was chosen as the headquarters for Tokugawa Ieyasu, a military general who had helped to restore order in Japan following almost a hundred years of warfare between rival feudal lords. Tokugawa became shogun in 1603, closing Japan to most foreign trade and travel in 1633. With the country now at relative peace, Edo boomed, and by the early 1700s the city boasted a population of one million people.
In 1853 US Navy warships steamed into Edo Bay, and the fleet’s commander demanded Japan open itself to trade once more. Weakened by unrest from within, the shogunate acceded to the demands. Lack of support for the shogunate led to a civil war from 1868–9, resulting in the resignation of the shogun and Imperial power being restored. Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo and became the capital of Japan.
The reign of Emperor Taisho (1912–1926) saw a vibrant new culture blossom, as young Japanese people reveled in newfound economic, social, and political freedoms. The dynamic era came to a halt when the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the region, and mob violence broke out in the ensuing fires. A crackdown followed: order was restored, individual freedoms curtailed, and laws implemented to end public displays of political dissent. As the city rebuilt, multi-story buildings of concrete and steel were erected in place of the destroyed wooden houses, while new motorways replaced the old twisting narrow streets.
In December 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on America’s Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Intended as a preemptive strike to prevent the United States becoming involved in Japan’s military affairs in the Pacific, the attack had the opposite effect when it brought the US formally into World War II. The war continued to escalate, and on the night of March 9, 1945, the US Army Air Forces sent 325 B-29s over Tokyo in a devastating firebombing raid. In a matter of minutes more than 100,000 people were dead, and 17 sq miles (45 sq km) of the city had turned to ash. Following the Allies’ atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, Emperor Hirohito ordered the cabinet to sue for peace. The war drew to a close, and was followed by the Allied occupation of Japan.
The occupation of Japan finally ended in 1952. The new atmosphere of freedom unleashed a creative shock wave that saw a period of intense innovation in art, film, literature, and architecture – much of this new experimentation happening in the capital city. The success of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games marked Japan’s re-entry onto the international stage. The stunning buildings erected to mark the event, and the construction of the first shinkansen (bullet train), established Japan’s place at the forefront of design and technology. Following decades of intense economic growth, land values skyrocketed in Tokyo in the 1980s. However, this economic bubble came to end in 1992, and years of stagnation followed.
The beginning of the 21st century continued to be marked by the difficult aftermath of the bubble burst in the 1990s, as well as the global financial crisis of 2008 and the issues of an aging and declining population. The pessimistic mood of the era was deepened by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Nonetheless, throughout these difficult years Tokyo continued to be an important center for art, entertainment, and innovation. With the ascent to the throne of Emperor Naruhito and the dawn of the Reiwa era in 2019, and the thrill of the long-awaited Summer 2020 Olympics, the Japanese are looking eagerly towards the future as Tokyo steps firmly into the spotlight once again.
During the economic bubble, the Imperial Palace’s land was worth more than the state of California.
Sakoku (closed country) was Japan’s isolationist foreign policy. It was initiated by the Tokugawa shogunate to promote national stability, and end colonial and religious influence from abroad. From 1633–1853, the Japanese public were not allowed to leave the country, and only the Dutch were allowed to continue trading with Japan.
DISCOVER A Brief Histroy
Timeline of events |
c 1170A warrior of the Edo clan builds a residence in a fishing village at the mouth of the Sumida River. |
1457A samurai governor, Ota Dokan, builds Edo Castle. |
1590Military general Tokugawa Ieyasu is transferred to the Kanto region, establishing himself at Edo. |
1603Tokugawa is named Shogun, beginning the Edo period. |
1617Kabuki, sumo, and ukiyo-e art begin to thrive in Edo culture. |
1633The sakoku (closed country) policy begins. Nearly all foreign nationals are barred. |
1657Great Fire of Meireki occurs in Edo, and over 60 percent of Tokyo is destroyed. |
1853Commodore Matthew Perry anchors in Edo Bay and demands an end to Japan’s period of isolation. |
1856Publication of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, by artist Hiroshige. |
1868End of Edo period; Edo city is renamed Tokyo and becomes Japan’s new capital. |
1923Great Kanto Earthquake strikes; much of Tokyo and Yokohama are destroyed. |
1945Tokyo devastated by Allied firebombing in the final months of World War II. |
1946–52The US Army occupies Japan, with headquarters in Yokohama before moving to Tokyo. |
1954Godzilla rampages through Tokyo for the first time in the movie Godzilla. |
1964Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the first games held in Asia. |
1976Commercial karaoke machines are introduced in Japan, although they are not very popular at first. |
1995Aum Shinrikyo cult releases sarin gas on three lines of the Tokyo Metro. |
1998Tokyo gets its first Pokémon Center, a store dedicated to Japan’s hit video game and anime franchise. |
2012Opening of the Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest tower. |
2019Emperor Naruhito ascends the throne, ushering in the new Reiwa era. |
2020Tokyo Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. |
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