The Political System

An emperor had ruled Japan from Kyoto but by the twelfth century the imperial court lost power to shoguns, who in theory ruled in the name of the emperor. From to , members of the Tokugawa family held the position of shogun. The country was divided into over domains under the rule of lords called daimyo . The shogun exercised power over the domainal lords, ordering them to stay at the capital Edo (modern Tokyo) for long periods so that they would not pose a threat.

He also controlled the major cities and mines. The samurai (the warrior class) were the ruling elite and served the shoguns and daimyo . In the late sixteenth century, three changes laid the pattern for future development. One, the peasantry was disarmed and only the samurai could carry swords.

This ensured peace and order, ending the frequent wars of the previous century. Two, the daimyo were ordered to live in the capitals of their domains, each with a large degree of autonomy. Third, land surveys identified owners and taxpayers and graded land productivity to ensure a stable revenue base. The daimyo ’s capitals became bigger, so that by the mid-seventeenth century, Japan not only had the most populated city in the world – Edo – but also two other large cities – Osaka and Kyoto, and at least half a dozen castle-towns with populations of over , .

(By contrast, most European countries of the time had only one large city.) This led to the growth of a commercial economy, and created financial and credit systems. A person’s merit began to be more valued than his status. A vibrant culture blossomed in the towns, where the fast- growing class of merchants patronised theatre and the arts. As people enjoyed reading, it became possible for gifted writers to earn a living solely by writing.

In Edo, people could ‘rent’ a book for the price of a bowl of noodles. This shows how popular reading had become and gives a glimpse into the scale of printing*. * Printing was done with wood blocks.