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Timeline of Japanese History Part 4: Edo Period

As the age of fierce fighting came to an end, Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as the prominent warlord and he established a shogunate government in Edo (as Tokyo was formerly known). However, around 80% of the land seized from vanquished enemies had to be granted to vassal daimyo (feudal lords) as rewards. This prevented the Tokugawa clan from becoming too despotic, with the daimyo and their domains retaining some autonomy throughout the Edo period. Lasting around 260 years, the Edo period (1603-1869) was a time of peace, with no major outbreaks of war. To obtain this peace, the Tokugawa shogunate reformed Japan from top to bottom. While further consolidating the system of centralized shogunal power, it also set clear boundaries between the warrior and peasant classes, with battle-hardened samurai subsequently transformed into government officials. All these changes ushered in an age where the rule of law and good governance held sway, not military or divine power.

During the preceding Sengoku (“Warring States”) period, Japan had been a land of pessimism and strife, with death and destruction ever present. However, as the Tokugawa shogunate brought peace to the country, Japan instead became a land full of optimism and life, with Edo’s population topping one million at the start of the 18th century. And the Japanese certainly made the most of this peace. People flocked to sumo tournaments or embarked on pilgrimages to the land’s temples and shrines, for example, while others were drawn to places often viewed as dens of sin, such as theaters or licensed pleasure quarters (red-light districts). This ephemeral “floating world” was captured in ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Printing technology meant images could be produced more cheaply and in greater volume compared to hand-drawn works, with ukiyo-e becoming the first “paintings” that ordinary people could afford too.

Though culture and the economy developed at a remarkable pace, people still suffered from harsh government, famine and natural disasters. The shogunate government attempted several reforms at the start of the 19th century, but these efforts proved fruitless. Support grew for forces that wanted to build a new system centered around the Emperor, with this movement eventually leading to the establishment of a new government. From that moment on, Japan took its first steps towards becoming a modern state.

Kabukiza Theater

Kabuki is one of Japan’s representative traditional theatrical arts, taking its place alongside gagaku, noh, kyogen, and bunraku puppet theater. It first emerged as a form of popular entertainment during the Edo period and is still performed to this day. Kabuki has a classic canon of works from the Edo period, but it retains its status as a living, breathing theater for the masses, with new works and new performances of classical works still being produced. Nowadays, Japan’s only specialist kabuki theater is the Kabukiza Theatre in Higashi-Ginza, Tokyo. The theater was reconstructed in 2013, with the 29-storey Kabukiza Tower office building now soaring above a huge theatrical space measuring 32m from the area beneath the stage to the roof. The complex also has a rooftop garden and a Kabukiza Gallery where foreign visitors can learn all about the artform.

National Bunraku Theatre

Bunraku puppet theater stands alongside noh and kabuki as one of Japan’s representative traditional performing arts. Its roots like in a simple form of narrative music, but the later addition of puppets and shamisen players perfected it and made it into the unique fusion of music, drama and storytelling we know today. It was hugely popular in the late-17th century, particularly around Kyoto and Osaka, and it had a major influence on kabuki theater. The Bunraku-za became the only theater still staging performances from the early modern period, with the word “bunraku” coming to signify the performing art itself. National Bunraku Theatre was founded in Osaka in 1984. In addition to bunraku, it holds performances of dance, Japanese music, and engei, for example. The first floor exhibition room also displays precious materials related to bunraku, with special exhibitions held periodically too. The exhibitions are open to everyone, with admission also free.

Learn more about kabuki and bunraku by clicking on the links below!

• Kabuki - The Vibrant World and Spectacle of Edo
• Bunraku - Where Puppets, Voice, and Music Tell the Story with Deep Emotion