The predecessor of Tokyo, now one of the largest cities in the world and the center of Japan’s politics, economy, and culture, was Edo. Edo was the seat of the Tokugawa clan for 279 years, from 1590 to 1868, and was the political center of the Edo period.
There are various theories as to the origin of the word, but the most popular are that it means “江所 (riverbed)” or “江の門戸 (gateway to the river)”. In any case, the name is derived from the natural topography, and “江(e)” is thought to refer to Edo Bay (Tokyo Bay) in a broad sense, and Hibiya Inlet, which existed before the modern era, in a narrower sense.
Outline of Edo History
The Edo clan had been indigenous to the city since the Middle Ages, and Edo Castle was built by Ota Dokan in 1457, and developed into the center of politics with the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603. The population grew as the wives and children of samurais came to live in Edo on a regular basis. 1657 saw the Great Meireki Fire, which destroyed most of the city, but it was quickly rebuilt. As a major consumption center in the Shogun’s capital, Edo nurtured the townspeople, and the center of popular culture seemed to have shifted from Osaka to Edo during the Kasei period (1600-1654). In 1868, the city was renamed Tokyo and became the capital the following year.
