Edo - Introduction

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Edo 江戸　- Introduction

The town of Edo 江戸　大江戸 Ooedo, Great Edo, Old Edo 　

Fires and fighting were the "flowers of Edo", Edo no Hana.



- More Photos of Old Edo - 江戸名所図会


. Edo Meisho Zue 江戸名所図会, “Guide to famous Edo sites” .
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Edo Meisho Hanagoyomi 江戸名所花暦 - Flower Calendar of Famous Places in Edo


. Edo Meibutsu 江戸名物　Specialities of Edo .
- the main ABC-list -

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Edo, The City That Became Tokyo
An Illustrated History / Akira Naito
Illustrations by Kazuo Hozumi
Translated by H. Mack Horton



From 1603 to 1868, the city of Edo was the seat of power of the Tokugawa shogunate and the political center of Japan. In 1868 the city was renamed Tokyo and made the official capital of the nation. Both literally and figuratively, present-day Tokyo rests upon the foundations of Edo, and much of what is now thought of as traditional Japanese culture (woodblock prints, kabuki, sumo, haiku poetry) found its final form in Edo. In this book, through over 200 black and white drawings and an insightful text, old Edo is brought vividly to life—its planning, its construction, and the cultural energy that made it one of the most exciting, and populous, cities on the face of the earth.


. . . Mitsuke Gate of Edo Castle


Edo was nothing more than a village on the edge of Edo Bay when Ieyasu Tokugawa chose it as the site for a castle from which he, as shogun, could administer the country. The castle was of utmost importance because Japan had just emerged from a hundred years of civil war, and Ieyasu was determined that the power he had gained should not be wrested from him by antagonistic warlords.

The castle, of course, had to be supplied with the necessities of everyday life, and thus a town had to be built where merchants and artisans could live. It is the planning and construction of Edo Castle and the town that would support it that lie at the core of this book. In fact, the construction of the city would be an ongoing process throughout its –year history, in the wake of repeated devastation by fire and earthquake and under the pressure of an ever-expanding population.


. . . Quarters of the Townspeople

Another aspect of the book concerns Edo's cultural life, which moved over time from classical conventions dominated by the samurai to the more popular and lively forms favored by the merchants and artisans. Featured here are temples and shrines, festivals, bath houses, pleasure quarters, kabuki theaters, street gangs, the poet Basho, sumo wrestling, side shows, ukiyo-e prints, barbers, and much more.
source : kodansha-intl.com/books/


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Hi there!
My name is Edoreki Gakushimaru,
and I live in the city of Edo (you probably call my city "Tokyo" -- that's the modern name for Edo). I'd like to take you on a trip through my city, to see what it was like when it was still ruled by the Shogun, when samurai walked the streets, accompanied by beautiful women wearing silk kimono. There are lots of sights to see and plenty to learn about ancient Japan. But first, you have to travel back in time about 200 years.
Are you ready?

Edomatsu
Edo Japan, A Virtual Tour


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Flower Viewing at Shinobazu Pond
『江戸名所図会』 不忍池 蓮見


- Edo and Edo Castle — Developing a Metropolis -


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People of Edo, by Maki Bokusen 牧墨僊


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Look at more here:
source : hatsuzawa


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Edo Bungaku Collection - Waseda Daigaku　江戸文学


source : www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kotenseki

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. Edo Haikai 江戸俳諧　Haiku and Hokku .

. Tookyoo jusha 東京十社 ten shrines of Tokyo - Edo .


. BOOK - Titles of Books, Articles etc. - Book, Buchtitel .


- quote -
Bird's-eye View Illustration of Ōedo (大江戸鳥瞰図 Ōedo Chokan-zu)

This is a map that looks out eastwards from Edo Castle and depicts the view of a bustling city and Hinomi-yagura (fire watchtowers). The course of rivers and the coastline is also included allowing us to understand how the streets of Edo appeared at the time.
Keirin, the author of this bird's eye view illustration was the grandson of Keisai Kuwagata.
Keisai had a unusual career changing from an Ukiyo-e painter to becoming a painter for the Tsuyama clan (present day Okayama Prefecture) and he specialized in bird's eye view illustrations. Keisai left a number of bird's eye view illustrations of Edo such as 'Bird's Eye View of Greater Edo' and 'A Glance at Edo painted on Folding Screen', and the strong influence of his grandfather can clearly be seen in this illustration by Keirin. Bird's eye view illustration is the paiting that depicts the view of the ground as if seen from the point of view of a bird flying in the sky.
This kind of illustration became popular in the later years of Edo when perspectives began to be adopted.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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. Hana no Miyako 花の都 - Kyoto, the old capital .

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