From their castle town of Edo, modern Tokyo, the Tokugawa ruled Japan as shoguns until 1867. The Tokugawa period saw the flowering of urban culture and a monetized commodity economy. The Samurai stood at the top of a legally established four-class system. From illiterate warriors, they were transformed into military bureaucrats who served both the Shogunal and Daimyo governments. The first contact that Japan had with the western world was when a Portuguese ship was blown off course and landed on the island in 1542. read more

From their castle town of Edo modern (Tokyo), the Tokugawa ruled Japan as Shoguns until 1867. The Tokugawa period saw the flowering of urban culture and a monetized commodity economy. The Samurai stood at the top of a legally established four-class system. From illiterate warriors they were transformed into military bureaucrats who served both the Shogunal and Daimyo governments. read more