Tokugawa+Shogunate

The Tokugawa Shogunate was started by Tokugawa Ieyasu who was thrid of three unifiers of Japan. He brought around the total unification of Japan following the work of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyosi. The Tokugawa Shogunate lasted from 1603, the end of the era of warring states in Japam, to 1868. This Shogunate moved the captial from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo). The Sankin-Kotai System or the "Alternative Attendance" System was also created which mandated that all the families of the diamyos must move to the capital of Edo and the diamyos could live one year at thier home and one year in Edo. This was ment to keep the diamyos occupied with the ceremony of moving and maintaining two homes while also keeping their families close so that the diamyos would not revolt and so the shogun could keep an eye on them. The Tokugawa Shogunate was also responsible for the "Closed Country Policy", following a Christian uprising (this became banned and punishable by death) which closed all the borders of Japan and only allowed trade if it went through the shogun and only at the Port Nagasaki and only trade was allowed between Japan and the Dutch or the Chinese. The Chinese because of the long history of connection between China and Japan and they traded with the Dutch because of the Dutch religious tolerance.

Created by: Ian Worthington 12/11/08