History of Tokyo

(300 BC to 300 AD) found in Kugahara, Ōta The site of Tokyo has been inhabited since ancient times. At the Ōmori Shell Midden site in modern-day Ōmori, a collection of pottery, worked bones, and a clay tablet were dated to be 5,000 years old, in the Bronze Age. At Yayoi-zaka near modern Nezu Station, Yayoi period grains of charred rice and chaff were found, making it the oldest agricultural site in Tokyo. The 4th century Horaisan Kofun in Tanagawa is Tokyo's oldest tomb. The 5th century Noge Otsuka in Todoroki is a 5th century tomb from the Middle Kofun culture. Around the tomb's hill, various objects from that time imply the location was the resting place of a powerful chieftain of the southern Musashino area. Early pots were used to store nuts, scavenged from early inhabitants' hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Hunting and gathering decreased over time as the Tokyo peoples started growing food in areas closer to home. Kanto was a well-irrigated piece of flatland ideal for the cultivation of rice, and protected from coastal invaders from mainland Asia. temple, before it was firebombed during World War II and rebuiltOn 18 March, 628, fisherman and brothers Hinokuma and Hamanari Takenari allegedly caught a gold statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, from the Sumida. They gave it to their liege, Haji-no-Nakamoto, who decided to enshrine the statue. The location would be the Asakusa Kannon temple, or Sensō-ji, which may be Japan's earliest religious temple, completed in 645. Sensō-ji was firebombed during World War II; when the main hall's remains were excavated, 7th and 8th-century "religious implements and tiles of continental Asian origin" were found. This hints at the statue possibly being of Korean origin. The temple was later rebuilt and served as a spiritual symbol of Japan's resurgence post-war. In 646, the upland region of Tokyo was recorded as Musashi, likely coming from the Ainu word muzasi (wilderness of weeds). In the 8th century, Musashi had a governor who lived in Fuchu. A road was opened from Kozuke (modern Gunma Prefecture) to Fuchu through an uninhabited plain. Sometime in the 8th century, Koreans moved into the plain, evident in the site name Komagori, near modern Hannō. In 737, Emperor Shomu of Nara ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple and monastery at every region the Yamato people live in. This led to the building of the Kokubunji temple in modern west Tokyo, which has visible remnants today. In the 10th century, an imperial member of the Taira clan, Taira Makasodo, started fighting his imperial-descending neighbors, notably the Minamoto clan. In 935, these quarrels turned into a war, and he also began fighting other Taira. In 938, his army took over a government base in a nearby province, effectively making him the overlord of the Kanto region, and a threat to the emperor's authority. He was killed in 940. The fighting between the Taira and Minamoto later grew into a full civil war. By the 11th century, Kanto was home to new colonists, including the Shibuya clan, who made a stronghold that became the namesake for the modern Shibuya district. The royal Lady Sarashima, wrote in Sarashina Nikki about moving from Kyoto (Japan's then-capital) to a northwest province in 1120. She describes nature similar to Tokyo, and mentions a location named Takeshiba, which is theorized to be in modern day Mita. Around this time, the area's rival clans divided the land amongst themselves. These areas were shoen. referring to Edo Bay. The first recorded use of the word was when a man named Chichibu Shigetsugu changed his first name to Edo. He likely named himself after his home, a mound by the sea at Kojimachi. A 12th century lord Imai Kanehira also lived at the Shigetsugu residence. A Minamoto member of the Imperial Court, Minamoto no Yoritomo, broke away from the court in 1180. At Kamakura, south of Edo, he set up Japan's first shogunate, a feudal lord system of governance that followed a warrior code. One of his vassals was Edo Shigenaga, Shigetsugu's son. Shigenaga was rewarded by the shogunate with patches of land around Edo, including the village Kitami. In 1185, the Minamoto defeated the Taira. A road from Kamakura to Edo, and the Kozuke-Fuchu road, were used by armed bands on their way to fight battles in the Middle Ages., who built the start to Edo Castle|left|237x237px Edo Castle began construction in 1457 at the modern Imperial Palace's East Garden. It was west of the Edo village, at the Chiyoda peasant village. The castle was in a strategic spot, as it was defensible and near the multiple rivers' estuaries. Boats could anchor near the castle. The name Chiyoda was later given to an area in Tokyo's center. The Uesugi conflict led to the Hojo clan gaining power in Kanto. In 1524, at Kawagoe, Hojo Oitsuna fought against Uesugi Tomo, and captured Edo Castle. The castle later belonged to the Koga family's Ashikaga Shigeuji, and then the Hojo again. The Hojo's representative at Edo was Toyama Kaganao. In 1563, Ōta Dōkan's great-grandson failed an attempt to recapture the castle. For a long time, the castle stayed Hojo property. He did not seem to have interest in Edo. Nobunaga's successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, continued Nobunaga's conquests. Hideyoshi and his army's commander, the Tokugawa Ieyasu, took control of the Hojo in 1589. Ieyasu visiting Edo was considered crucial to the city's legitimacy. ==Tokugawa period (17th century)==

The Tokugawa period began when the Imperial Court appointed Ieyasu shōgun in 1603, starting the Tokugawa shogunate., higher than most court nobles.The Tokugawa political system rested on both feudal and bureaucratic controls, so Edo lacked a unitary administration. The social order was composed of warriors, peasants, artisans, and businessmen, the latter two classes organized in guilds. Businessmen were excluded from government office, so they made their own economic center of activity. Edo was harsh toward outcast groups. It imposed restrictions on people known as kawata, eta, and hinin (nonhuman). Officials created the Burakumin outcast order for all of Japan. Fear of "pollution" and "impurity" helped determine who was discriminated against. Even in modern Japan, many descendants of burakumin are poor, and live in Arakawa, Sumida, and Taito. To assure a peaceful succession, in 1605, Ieyasu chose his successors to be his son, Tokugawa Hidetada, and his grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu. In 1616, Ieyasu died, and was succeeded by Hidetada. Early century development The 176 fudai daimyō (inside lords) that supported Ieyasu in his campaign were allocated land near Edo castle to build estates on. The 68 tozama daimyō (other lords), nobleman who were not associates, lived in "peripheral zones", where they formed allegiances to survive. The service class rented homes in the back streets and alleys. Their homes, ura nagaya (rear long-houses), were made up of units. Each unit's living area was not much larger than 3 square meters. An entire family might live there, and single men often lived there to be closer to their countryside family. Those men worked lower-class jobs. Some of them were struggling ronin (masterless samurai). The homes of wealthy merchants, shopkeepers, and temple lottery winners were superior, located on wider streets, and their roofs were somewhat fire-resistant. , showing an aspect of the sankin-kōtai system: the festive attendance day of daimyo at Edo CastleThere was a system called sankin-kōtai'' (alternative residence), in which daimyo were required to live both in Edo and their home province. As a "divide-and-rule" strategy, half of the lords were required to travel from their home province to Edo once a year, and vice versa. Their returns and departures were met with celebrations. Daimyo were also supposed to leave their family permanently in Edo. On the main roads in Edo, barriers said "no women out, no weapons in". The system contributed to making the city a military citadel. City planning Both the fudai and tozama daimyo had to supply "labor, funds, and materials" for construction projects, which altogether were tenka-fushin (construction of the realm). The construction of water systems and roads around the city eased the movement of "officials, merchants, and goods", and allowed more people to take pilgrimages to holy sites. and was wholly completed in 1640. It was the city's most important location; Buddhist temples faced the castle, and it was at the center of most maps. It was irrigated with a waterwheel from the Sumida, but the land was not very rewarding for farmers, who became impoverished. Marunouchi (within the moat) was named after 1635, when Edo Castle was expanding and many daimyo moved to homes between the castle walls and the moat. Others moved to the village of Yotsuya, the site of a watchtower on the road into town, which eventually became Shinjuku. in an 1856 painting by Hiroshige|305x305px Water systems The eastern Hibiya inlet was filled in using dirt from the northern hill Surugadai. Landfills were created with dirt from the northern and western Yamanote hills, and the Dosanbori Canal was created to move construction materials. The canal's construction was used by Ieyasu to test his supporters' loyalty, and to deplete the resources of his suspected rivals. At fish markets, insects and rodents were common. This contributed to measles, smallpox, and beriberi. Beriberi was caused by nutritional deficiencies in the common diet, which consisted of only white rice. It was called the "Edo disease". Nihonbashi Bridge was the starting point for the Tokaido road, and thus many major trunk roads. It became the zero point for distance measurements. The bridge's ends had important bulletin boards. Adulterers and sexual offenders were placed in fetters at the south end. Nearby, murderers were buried with their heads protruding from the ground. A saw was placed nearby, and anyone could use the saw to sever a head, which would be placed at a pike on the bridge. These methods effectively deterred crime. The nearby area would become a trade district under the Mitsui family's leadership. Edo's fires were named Edo no hana (flowers of Edo). and an earthquake and fire both occurred in 1694. Late century development Yotsuya was renamed Shinjuku (new lodge) after the fire, because it was a "new lodge" for many people who had their homes destroyed in the fire and needed to move to Yotsuya, which remained unharmed. Rebuilding made lumber tycoons like Bunzaemon Kinokuniya significant money. The Ryogoku Bashi bridge was built over the Sumida River, starting development in the city's east. Expansion meant formerly rural areas were now urban. Between Nihonbashi Bridge and the neighboring Edobashi Bridge, Edobashi Road became the site of much activity. western district (at top) and the shitamachi'' eastern district (at bottom). Nihonbashi is at center By the 1650s, Edo reached a population of 500,000, becoming Japan's largest city. Immigrants came from elsewhere in Japan. As the areas surrounding the central citadel grew, two notable communities formed: the Yamanote and Shitamachi. Two shitamachi communities were Nihonbashi and Kyobashi. Nihonbashi's large commodities store built in 1662, Shirokiya, became Tokyu Department Store. Some new residents in the city were foreigners. From 1660 to 1790, Dutch traders, restricted to Nagasaki's Dejima island, were forced to make annual delegatory trips to Edo, and perform certain ceremonies when they arrived. After 1790, tributaries had to be sent every four years. The Dutch were also required to send an annual report on world events, which continued until the mid-19th century, when Japan opened themselves to foreigners. Red light districts After the Meireki Fire, the city attempted to dissolve theaters and the Yoshiwara red light district ("venues of moral degeneration") by moving them from Asakusa, east of the castle, to the northeast. However, they could be reached via chokibune boat rides from Yanagibashi, and through the Kanda River and Sanya Canal. For ease and economic purposes, entrepreneurs turned Yoshiwara into an unlicensed city district. The area was open at night, which benefited brothel owners. Officials did not like how the district became a social leveler, as the class-based social codes of the time did not apply there for men. The only requirement for entry was an admission fee, and amagasa hats were sold to hide people's identities. The number of prostitutes there was 4,000 by 1780, and 7,000 by 1868. There were classes of prostitutes. The lower-ranking classes were the jiroro and the sancha. The higher-ranking tayu were much more skilled, fashionable and conversational. Prostitutes often received sexually-transmitted diseases. When they died, they were not widely mourned, and many were buried in an unmarked grave at the Jokan-ji temple in Minowa, a northern working-class district. Their bodies were dumped over a wall into the temple by brothel staff. At Fukugawa, east of the city and outside its jurisdiction, new warehouses and lumberyards lead men to vastly outnumber women. This created the market for shops and teahouses staffed by prostitutes. Lower-ranking prostitutes lived in the district's back streets, and displayed themselves in windows. A red light district in Shinjuku operated from 1698 to 1718, when it closed down. This shut down the town. It reopened 50 years later, eventually becoming one of the city's more prominent districts. There was a growing literary scene in the late century, as paper was cheaper and more people could read. Major booksellers first appeared in 1650, and published many fiction and nonfiction genres, including Confucian works. Physicians bought books about the West's medical advancements. Two major writers were Matsuo Basho and Saikaku. Books could either be bought expensive at book stores, or rented cheap by traveling salesmen. By the 1830s, when the city had over 800 book sellers, literacy rates in Edo were one of the highest in the world. Live entertainment Kabuki theater became popular. Initially performed by women, associated with prostitution, and transgressive, authorities despised kabuki. The first kabuki theater opened in Nakabashi in 1624, but was close to the castle, so it had to be moved to Negicho (modern Ningyocho), and then Sakaicho. By 1714, there were three major theaters around Sakaicho, Ichimura-za, Morita-za, and Nakamura-za. As it became mainstream by the early 17th century, for various reasons, men started playing every role in kabuki. Kabukimono were men who stayed in theater outfits outside the theater, which delighted commoners and offended officials. == Tokugawa period (18th century) ==

By 1720, Edo became the world's largest city, with an estimated 1.3 million people. The yamanote and shitamachi both had around 650,000; this highlights the disparity between the two groups, as the shitamachi had 16% of Edo's area. Edo's lead in social change and economic growth impacted all of Japan during the Tokugawa era, attracted immigrants, and created new markets and a higher standard of living. Fukugawa became dependent on its waterways, as their economy was based on its warehouses and sale of oil, food, sake, fertilizer, and other commodities that had to be moved. Merchants from the adjacent Kiba received lumber from Fukugawa's wharves. Daimyo and warriors in the 17th and 18th centuries In the 17th and 18th centuries, ronin roamed the city streets. They were involved in riots and brawls, and became a problem for the shogunate. In the 1790s, the shogun's councilor, Matsudaira Sadanobu, created a detention center for ronin and general vagrants on the Sumida's artificial island of Tsukudajima. Losing money due to sankin-kōtai, warriors devoted less time to martial arts and more time to relaxation. Low-ranking hatamoto (bannermen) were troublesome as groups in their free time. One group was the Shiratsuka-Gumi (White Hilt Gang), who formed in the 1640s and were eliminated by authorities by the end of the 17th century. Forty-seven ronin incident storming Kira Yoshinaka's mansion In the early 1700s, Lord Kira Yoshinaka, who lived in Ryogoku next to the Sumida River, was appointed to teach Lord Asano Naganori about court ritual. Yoshinaka disliked this appointment, and did not receive some entitled gifts from the government. He provoked Naganori until he pulled out his dagger and struck Yoshinaka. This was punishable by death, and Naganori had to commit seppuku (ritual self-disembowelment). His family was disinherited, becoming ronin, and their estates were divided up. His elder councilor, Oishi Koranosuke, planned his revenge on Yoshinaka with 46 other former Asano retainers. On 30 January 1703, the 47 ronin stormed Yoshinaka's mansion. They gave him the chance to commit seppuku. He refused, so Koranosuke beheaded him with Naganori's sword. The head was then brought to the Sengaku-ji temple and placed before Naganori's grave. The government ordered the ronin to commit seppuku, which they did on 4 February. The incident became an element of popular culture. Laws Edo neo-Confucianism was a popular philosophy, which partially came from the theory of Hayashi Razan, a lecturer at Yushima's Shoheizaka Institute of Learning. It focused less on Confucianism's metaphysical aspects, and more of how people should obey the state. It dictated many aspects of how people lived, moreso the lower-class. For example, higher-class people were allowed to wear colorful clothes, while lower-class people wore muted tones, to "promote their invisibility". Some freedoms were afforded to Edo's lower classes not afforded in other big cities. One example is how a person absent from the Census Register could live as a laborer in Edo, fitting in with outcasts. The city then had two types of land ownership: bukechi and chochi. Bukechi, the samurai system, was used for residential property. Sales and purchases were not allowed, so the value of a parcel of land was indeterminable. Chochi was the system used by merchants and craftsmen for both residential and commercial purposes. Chochi recognized private ownership, so land had a known value. Regarding administration, here was no central authority in Tokyo, but rather a complex system of local districts. Decision-making in each district was headed by two men, machi bugyo. They issued orders to the next level of three full-time hereditary administrators, called toshiyori. In 1791, typhoons and high tides destroyed the Fukugawa red light district. Laws like the Kansai reforms censored certain books and disallowed commoners from writing fiction. Various artists at the time criticized city society with their works. These included theater performers, the writer Napa Oto, popular novels with satirical prose called sen-ryu'', and painters like Hokusai. An annual celebration was the Festival of the River God, at the Sumidagawa Shrine by the Sumida's east bank. Near the end of May, a fireworks display known as kawa-biraki (river opening) was held on the river, initially intended somehow to cleanse the city of cholera. == Tokugawa period (19th century) ==

At Mukojima, on the Sumida's east bank, "private gardens, teahouses and temples" were visited by the era's leading artists, including Kameda Hosai, Sakai Hoitsu, and Tani Buncho. They also visited Sahara Kiky's Mukojima's Hyakka-en garden. Kiku and his artist friends, made a garden that associated itself with Japanese and Chinese literature. They enscribed stones that can still be read. By the end of the century, Mukojima would be packed with factories which ruined the local plants and water. City officials tried to combat the defiance of class-based social structure. The Tenpo Reforms were issued multiple times over to arrest non-compliant "writers, reformists, and liberal political figures". Perry Expedition and the opening of Japan Matthew C. Perry's fleet during his second visit to Tokyo in 1854 On 8 July 1853, American Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his four steam-powered metal ships sailed into Edo Bay, and demanded Japan open their port for trade. Japan responded with fear. In Ukiyo-e portraits, Americans were karasu-tengu (crow goblins). Nonetheless, Perry convinced them by presenting American goods like the telegraph and sewing machines, and the Japanese responded by showed the Americans good like lacquer boxes and teapots. After Perry visited again in 1854, the shogun opened Japan to foreigners, and give American control of Japanese tariffs to Western countries. The opening led to instability throughout the country. Mobs and "cultish" groups formed in Edo, causing unrest. In 1866, a sudden increase in rice prices caused riots. Rice was distributed to the people, but it did not stop yaonoshi ("reform the world") beliefs, which theorized a systematic attempt by outsiders to destroy Japan. To combat more Western influence, guns and odaiba forts were built at Edo Bay. Disasters A tidal wave in 1854 destroyed most Fukugawa homes. the 1855 earthquake's magnitude was 6.9 to 7.0M. There was significant damage, mostly at wealthier areas. "Daimyo Lane", near Edo Castle and containing major fudai daimyō mansions and government buildings, was severely damaged. Also damaged was Yoshiwara, and the recently built bayside guns (a sign of the shogun's power). Deaths were from 8,000 to 10,000. Government relief to the city's laborers was fast and generous, which art portrayed as a redistribution of wealth from the city's wealthy to the city's laborers. Because Yoshiwara was destroyed, the bakufu allowed to construction of brothels across Edo. Fear there would be more disasters led to popularity of talismans, and namazu-e woodblock prints which featured catfish and were commentaries on the fear. Fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate On 24 March 1860, rōnin samurai of Mito and Satsuma assassinated Ii Naosuke, Tairō (Chief Minister) of the shogunate. He was beheaded outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle. Ii had favored the opening of Japan, and signed the Unequal Treaties. This outraged many daimyo, and Ii silencing them caused the assassination. His death led to instability in the shogunate. Tokugawa Yoshinobu became shogun in 1866. He attempted to get French military aid by surrendering his powers, expecting he would be present in a new Western-influenced power structure. On 3 January 1868, middle- and lower-ranking samurai from Chōshū, Satsuma, and Tosa seized the palace in Kyoto and declared an Imperial restoration, ending the shogunate. Yoshinobu accepted the coup, but his advisers did not, which created a small civil war. Imperial forces marched to Edo, and Yoshinobu told his troops to surrender to the coup. Despite this peaceful negotiation, at Ueno Hill, Shogitai Tokugawa loyalists held a final stand against soldiers siding with the emperor. The Shogitati were massacred, mostly near the Kuromon (Black Gate). The Kanei-ji temple, a symbol of the shogunate, was burned. ==Meiji era==

, moving from Kyoto to Tokyo after the fall of Edo in 1868 Emperor Meiji was brought from Kyoto to lead the Meiji Restoration, which formed a new imperial government. In practice, he answered to reformist politicians like Ito Hirobumi and Okubo Toshimichi. Japan had to decide how much tradition would carry over to a modernizing country. Edo was renamed Tokyo in July 1868, and Edo Castle became Tokyo Castle. The emperor moved there in 1869. Samurai were abolished, and they became servants. Meiji made government officials wear Western-style clothing in public. Buddhist ceremonies were removed from the palace. In 1874, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was established. The poor played little role in the upheaval, but their cynical commentary on the transition appeared in writing. In Meiji's first few years, 50 to 60,000 shosei students, young and poor men, arrived in Tokyo, and many worked as servants to pay for school. Sankin-kōtai ended, so daimyo, their assistants, and other workers left the city, an estimated 360,000 people. This, and the warfare surrounding the Restoration, brought the population down from 1.3 million in the early 19th century to about 500,000 in 1869. In the 1880s, there was a demographic resurgence from former samurai returning to Tokyo to work as servants, patrolmen, and teachers. New developments were made to house the peasants moving in from the countryside. In 1877, Saigo Takamori, a leader of the shogunate's overthrow, tried to overthrow the Meiji government he considered weak. His army left for Tokyo from a city on the island of Kyushu, but they were stopped before they could leave the island. He lost the ensuing war. In 1878, the city was consolidated into 15 wards, which extended beyond the actual city into farmland. Meiji development Urban planning In the 1870s, the Meiji reformers dissolved the bukechi system, putting bukechi land under the chochi rules and thereby ending a large class division. The Large and Small Ward System gave officials control over local decisions. Beautification and improving the infrastructure and services were emphasized. City planners spoke the language of progress. Japan's new commitment to modernization transformed older notions of cities and city planning practices. Westernization Elements of Western architecture were inserted into most Meiji architecture, first at the Tsukiji foreign settlement. It was the designated living space for foreigners in Edo, and contained Keio Gijuku, a school for Western studies created by Fukuzawa Yukichi. Yukichi would influence the Japanese government to become an "imperial power exercising regional hegemony at the expense of its subject peoples". The Edo Hotel opened there in 1868. It was mostly Japanese-style, but had European and British Raj architectural influence. Many buildings of the time were shrunken to fit limited spaces, which gave them a "toy model appearance". Many foreigners left Tsukiji for Yokohama after the Ginza fire of 1872, leaving mostly Japanese consulate employees. After 1899, foreigners could live wherever they wanted. The foreigners at Tsukiji helped construct multiple schools that later evolved into universities in the area: Aoyama, Joshi, Meiji Gakuin, and Rikkyo, among others., a club mixing Japanese and European styles Two of the important Western architects in the city were Charles de Boinville, who made the Engineering College, and Josiah Conder, who made the hotel Rokumeikan, Nikolai Cathedral, and London Block, the new headquarters of Mitsubishi. The Ryounkako was a shopping and entertainment center in Asakusa from 1890 until its destruction during the Great Kanto Earthquake. Designed by Scottish civil engineer W.K. Burton, it was considered Tokyo's first skyscraper at 12 stories, and had Japan's first elevators. Modeled after European cities, Tokyo was made repository of cultural treasures from across Japan. For example, the Tokyo National Museum displayed representative items from the Horyu-ji temple in Nara Prefecture. Museum creator Machida Hisanari used it to promote the monarchy. Western standards also influenced two notable parks: a hill in the northern district was used for celebrations, and a parade ground next to the palace was turned into a recreational space. They were models for other parks around the city. In 1882, Ueno Zoo opened. The Mitsui family's Mitsukoshi store took inspiration from American store Wanamaker's by promoting seasonal exhibitions. It inspired the stores Shirokiya and Takashimaya, which opened in Ginza and Kyobashi, making those districts major retailing areas. Modernization In 1869, telegraph lines between Shinbashi and Yokohama started operating. A new port was constructed in 1880. 60 to 100,000 people were present at its opening ceremony. The line was extended to Shinbashi later that year. In 1885, the first section of what was to become the Yamanote railway line opened between Akabane and Shinagawa Stations. In 1902, as the railway reached the site of Azuma Bridge, the area around it named itself Asakusa to associate it with the local Asakusa entertainment district. In 1903, the first tram lines opened. In 1872, the castle at the Army Headquarters complex caught on fire, and spread eastward, destroying thousands of buildings in Ginza. They used the rebuilding as an opportunity to modernize and westernize, which was important as it was located between Nihonbashi and the rail depot, Shinbashi. It eventually had "gas lamps, paved sidewalks, willow trees, and telegraph poles", and was the home of the Ginza Black Quarter, a thousand buildings between Ginza and Kyobashi designed by architect Thomas Walters to deter fires. However, poor ventilation meant the area was unbearable during summer heat. Many people left, returning once the government offered them subsidies. Ginza became home to geisha houses (66 by 1912) and offices of the newspapers Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun and Yubin Hochi Shinbun, who were advocates for democracy and criticized the government. In 1897, the opening of freight wards in Sumida meant lodgings for its workers needed to be built. This led to the creation of the Sanya doya-gai slums, the most famous slums in Tokyo. Education 's law building before 1902 Tight control over education was exercised by the Ministry of Education. Tokyo Vocational School, which later became the Tokyo Institute of Technology, opened in 1881. Art and entertainment theater, as painted by Utagawa Hiroshige III in 1881 Two notable painters of the time were Utagawa Kuniteru II and Hiroshige III. Noh plays were revived in this time, and many Noh theaters were constructed. Many clubs started in Meiji Tokyo, home to many different trades and demographics. == Taishō era ==

Notable constructions from this were the Tokyo Station, Meiji Shrine, and Daito Bunka University. In 1918, there were riots in many parts of the city over the high price of rice, a part of the inflation caused by World War I. In 1921, the Prime Minister of Japan, Takashi Hara, was assassinated. He made political parties a primary institution of Japan, and, notable to his death, wanted to reduce the military's size, and opposed the Japanese intervention in Siberia. On 4 November 1921, he was killed by a young rightist at Tokyo Station. Disasters The 1918 Spanish flu affected Tokyo by 2 February 1919., near Hibiya Park during the 1923 earthquake|270x270pxAt noon on Saturday 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake registered 8.3 on the Richter scale. Seismologists found the epicenter was in Sagami Bay, about 80 km south of Tokyo, where a 100- by 100-kilometer segment of the Philippine oceanic plate broke against the Eurasian continental plate, releasing a massive amount of tectonic energy. Minutes later came the dreaded huge tsunami, with a height of 12 meters. As fires swept across Tokyo, 75% of all buildings suffered severe structural damage. The quake cut most of the water mains. Of the population of 4.5 million, 2% to 3% were killed. Two million people were homeless. Two percent of Japan's total national wealth was destroyed. Nihonbashi, Ginza, and Marunouchi were some of the less devastated areas. Angry survivors took blame and revenge on resident Koreans, killing several thousand out of hatred of Korean identity. The Japanese occupation of Korea influenced racial prejudice that led to the massacre. Japanese commentators interpreted the disaster as an act of divine punishment against the immoral and degenerate Japanese people. It led to the feeling that Japan needed to return to its traditional values. The earthquake created unsanitary conditions that caused increased rates in typhoid fever. During previous urbanization, traditional waste disposal methods in the northern and western districts of the city collapsed, and the earthquake exaggerated those conditions. This led to new antityphoid measures and infrastructure. Post-earthquake history On 27 December 1923, in the Toranomon incident, there was an attempted assassination of Crown Prince Hirohito, when shots were fired at this car. Taishō died on 25 December 1926, and was succeeded by Hirohito. ==Early Shōwa era==

In 1930, the city held a ceremony celebrating their rebuilding from the earthquake. In 1932, the city limits grew, and the number of wards increased from 15 to 35. Metro operations would be operated by Tokyo Rapid Transit Authority starting in 1940, and then the Tokyo Metro Co. in 2004. and Haneda Airfield. The dog Hachiko, who lived in Tokyo in the 1920s and 30s, became a part of Japanese popular culture and was immortalized as the Statue of Hachiko. 1930s civil conflict On 8 January 1932, in the Sakuradamon incident (1932), there was another attempted assassination on Hirohito, when a grenade was thrown at his car. Afterwards, martial law was not declared, and the military said it would not accept a new cabinet. A new prime minister was suggested, retired Admiral Saitō Makoto, but the office went to Keisuke Okada in 1934. During Okada's reign, Tokyo University professor Minobe Tatsukichi popularized a theory that the emperor should be an organ of the state. Right-wing military members who believed in the emperor's ultimate blamed Okada for Tatsukichi's theory and censured him. On 26 February 1936, notable statesmen, including Makoto, were assassinated by military members about to leave for Manchuria. Keisuke Okada escaped, as the assassins mistakenly shot his brother-in-law. For three days, rebels held downtown Tokyo, before they were stopped on the 29th. Their ringleaders were arrested and executed. In the army, the young nationalist rebels who wanted both domestic and foreign policy changes were replaced by conservative generals and officers who only focused on foreign policy. Okada resigned, blaming himself for the troubles that occurred under his administration, but he continued as a politician who had a major influence on Japanese politics until the end of World War II. The surge of nationalism in the 30s bent popular culture towards nationalism, including the city's music industry promoting military anthems. By 1936, cafes, dance halls, and revues in Asakusa and Ginza were under surveillance by the government to stop potential insurrection. In 1940, the city closed down Tokyo dance halls and banned jazz performances. Most large cinemas were banned by 1944. == World War II ==

Japan went to war with China in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, though it was undeclared until December 1941. That month, after the Japanese declaration of war on America and the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Second Sino-Japanese War was subsumed into World War II. Following Pearl Harbor, Japan expanded their invasion of Asia. In 1943, the "city of Tokyo" as an administrative unit was dissolved, being subsumed within the larger Tokyo Metropolis, which includes western Tokyo. The sensitive issue of how to defend the capital from air attack became a pressing concern for Tokyo. Japan told Tokyo's citizens to protect themselves, until devastating American firebombing raids showed that was impossible. Greater East Asia Conference In November 1943, Tokyo hosted the Greater East Asia Conference, where leaders from Japan's puppet governments from the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japan's conquered Asian and Pacific territories) discussed multiple topics. They were: cooperation to assure stability in the sphere, respecting the sovereignty and independence of the regions in the sphere, respecting each other's culture and traditions, cooperation for economic prosperity, and cooperation to have greater relations with countries in the rest of the world. Japan dominated discussion during the conference, and did not follow through with their resolutions. Bombing of Tokyo and the Battle of Iwo Jima , 1945|270x270px Tokyo was bombed repeatedly after November 1944, as the Americans opened air bases in the Mariana Islands that were in range. In January 1945, the U.S. Army Air Forces' Major General Curtis LeMay was tasked with revitalizing the bombing campaign. His boss, General "Hap" Arnold, urged him to stop precision bombing and adopt incendiary bombings. During Operation Meethinghouse on 9–10 March 1945, LeMay sent pathfinder aircraft ahead of an armada of B-29 bombers to mark the target area in Tokyo with napalm bombs. The armada of 334 B-29s from the Mariana Islands followed. 279 of the bombers dropped 1,665 tons of incendiary bombs. Dry and windy conditions allowed an unstoppable conflagration to burn 45 square kilometers. Over 100,000 people were killed in minutes. Most of the victims suffocated in bomb shelters when the fires consumed their oxygen. One fourth of city's buildings were destroyed. By the end of the firebombings, 60 percent of Tokyo had been on fire at some point. In 2002, the Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage museum was built. Japan's surrender On 6 and 9 August, respectively, America used atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the 8th, Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Japan agreed to sign the Potsdam Declaration's terms of surrender on 10 August, if their emperor was allowed to stay in power. America agreed to those terms, and Japan surrendered on the 14th. Hirohito urged the Japanese people to accept the surrender. There was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki on 2 September, during the surrender proceedings. Japan surrendered to China on 9 September. == Late Shōwa era ==

In 1947, the number of wards was reduced from 35 to 23, though the Metropolis limits stayed the same. and American soldiers stayed in temporary housing at former military grounds in Harajuku. Arms industries were dismantled, political prisoners were released, and Japanese soldiers and civilians from abroad were repatriated to Japan. In 1947, a new constitution, creating a democratic government, replaced the Meiji Constitution. It reduced the emperor's status to a symbolic one, removed Japan's right to declare war, and let women vote. Education was reformed, the numbers of farmers who were tenants were reduced, and zaibatsu business conglomerates were broken up. Labor unions were encouraged until the Cold War intensified. Profits from America's Korean War (1950 to 1953) were used for rebuilding. The U.S. tried to end the occupation in 1947, but the Soviet Union rejected a peace treaty with Japan. A treaty was signed in 1951, and the U.S. left in 1952. Afterwards, American military bases stayed in Japan, for use in the Korean, Cold, and Vietnam Wars. Japan was involved in military manufacturing, and repurposed their old surplus. International Military Tribunal for the Far East in session In the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, 25 Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes. The tribunal was established by a charter from Douglas MacArthur on 19 January 1946, basing it off the Nuremberg trials charter. It convened in April 1946, and was held in the former Ministry of War Building in Ichigaya. In May, the prosecution opened its case, and charged the defendants with "crimes against peace, conventional war crimes, and crimes against humanity". Prosecutors argued the crimes were systemic and widespread, and that the defendants knew of the crimes and did not attempt to stop them. Many American prisoners of war testified. The defense argued Japan was acting in self-defense, and that war crimes had not been established as international law. 25 defendants were convicted; 16 were given life imprisonment, seven were sentenced to death by hanging, and two were given lesser terms. Those convicted for a life sentence did not serve it, except those who died naturally in prison. The rest were pardoned or paroled by 1958. Hideki Tōjō was sentenced to hanging; he died in Tokyo in 1948. Post-war development In the 50s, power in Tokyo was spread from the center to around the city, as the fukutoshin (salellite cities) of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro were promoted. The Seibu department store chain started in Ikebukuro. American-style supermarkets opened in Tokyo, at first in the richer southwestern districts. They grew in the 60s when more people were wealthy. As rail and road networks expanded into rural areas, the former farming towns of Nerima, Kita, and Itabashi were repurposed as retail estate. In 1963, it was made illegal to keep a family automobile in the street space in front of a family home. This led to a massive replacement of front green spaces with parking spaces. The Tokyo Tower, a 333-meter tall steel tower resembling the Eiffel Tower, was built to transmit television signals, and symbolized Japan's future when it opened in 1958. Other notable buildings from this era were the National Diet Library, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Hotel New Otani Tokyo, and the Hotel Okura Tokyo. A trolleybus system operated in the 50s and 60s, and was replaced by buses and taxicabs. New Metro lines, the Marunouchi Line and Hibiya Line, opened. Japan's Shinkansen high-speed railway opened in 1964, in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics. The first line was the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, which ran from Tokyo to Osaka. The Yoshiwara and Susaki red light districts were both destroyed in 1945. Yoshiwara turned back into a red light district, with 200 soaplands in 1990. Susaki rebuilt to be a quiet, conservative place. It was removed from the shoreline by landfills, losing one of its notable features. A new red light district opened at Hatonomachi, and was closed in 1958. That was when prostitution was outlawed, leading to protests, but the business survived. Art and entertainment Occupation censorship rules were "almost as harsh" as imperial censorship; a new strategy was to remove cultural references to some elements of traditional culture, though kabuki and martial arts stayed. Some elements of culture still were opposed to occupation, Teruko Akatsuki's hit song "Tokyo Shoeshine Boy" is one example. Postwar, Akhibara capitalized on incoming freight trains by shifting to selling appliances and electronics. By 1990, it became known as the "Electric Town", and became home to the Akiba-kei style of otaku nerd culture. However, by 1990, Chiyoda sold the most electronics in the city. During the Anpo protests of 1959 and 1960, the Japanese New Left protested the United States-Japan Security Treaty, which led to a controversial new treaty. Later, protests occurred in response to American military bases in Japan being used for the Vietnam War, and American military presence in Okinawa. During the 1968–1969 Japanese university protests, students at Tokyo University seized the school's main hall, the Yasuda Hall. They expelled the president and other administrators and took hold of the building. It was named the "Yasuda Castle" by the media. They were expelled in the summer of 1968, and attempted to recapture the building in January 1969. The students failed to take it after a battle with 10,000 policemen, which was viewed nationwide on television. Protests over the United States-Japan Security Treaty reoccurred in 1970, but were less successful. In 1978, Yasukuni Shrine in Kudanshita became a memorial to Imperial Japan, including 2.5 million Japanese soldiers of World War II, and 12 major convicted war criminals, including Hideki Tojo. The shrine said those dead needed to be honored as they served their country. It also contains exhibits suggesting Japanese imperialism was a heroic liberation of Asia from Western colonialism. Visits to the shrine by right-wing government officials have caused controversy in countries affected by Japanese imperialism during the war. Governorship of Ryotaro Azuma |left 1964 Summer Olympics Tokyo's population reached ten million as the 1964 Summer Olympics left a deep impact on Japan's national identity. The nation's wounded psyche and reputation from the war were significantly healed. Rapid social changes, thematically staged in the Olympic ceremonies, let Japan display a new national pride, their re-entry into the circle of developed industrial countries, and their disavowment of imperialist militarism. Although Japan's foreign policy was closely linked to the United States during the Cold War, the city of Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics in the spirit of peaceful engagement with the entire world, including Communist states. Enormous expense was devoted to upgrading the city's physical infrastructure and making new businesses. A new satellite facilitated live international broadcasts. The Tokyo National Museum's coinciding ancient art exhibition promoted Japan's traditional culture to foreigners and the Japanese themselves. Two buildings made for the games were the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and National Olympic Stadium. The event proved a great success for the city and for Japan. Japan's foreign policy expanded to include sports diplomacy, as Japanese teams visited international competitions. Harujuku grew after being adjacent to the Olympic Village. The Encyclopædia Britannica states that while the games had positive effects on the city, their effort in the rebuilding is exaggerated, using America's funds from the Korean War as an example of other avenues of rebuilding. In the early 1960s, heavy smog forced citizens to wear face masks, and buy oxygen from vending machines. Toxic air required the construction of first aid stations, and the covering of plastic drapes over pavement cafes. Ryokichi Minobe was elected governor, serving three terms until 1979. He was elected by a populace who felt the government focused on financial growth "at the expense of welfare reform and environmental concerns". He froze funding for some highway construction, built traffic-free pedestrian malls, and limited pollution by putting pressure on heavy industry to move outside city limits. Smog would be "almost entirely eliminated" by 1980. Yamaguchi had a note in his pocket explaining he killed Asanuma for his left-wing policies, remarks he made during a speech in China, and for his supporters storming the National Diet building. 15,000 leftist demonstrators marched on the police headquarters demanding the police chief, Kameyoshi Teramoto, resign. 2,000 policemen beat them back, and 60 were injured. building Yukio Mishima was a writer who is regarded by many critics as the most important Japanese novelist of the century. In the 1960s, he became attached to Japanese nationalism, and wished to restore the emperor's power. On 25 November 1970, Mishima seized the commanding general's office at a military headquarters in downtown Tokyo, with four members of the Shield Society student army. On the building's balcony, Mishima gave a 10-minute speech to a thousand servicemen, in which he urged them to overthrow the post-war Japanese constitution. The soldiers were unsympathetic. Mishima committed seppuku with a sword, and was decapitated by a co-conspirator. In 1973, South Korean opposition leader Kim Dae-jung was kidnapped by Korean intelligence in Tokyo and sent back to Korea by boat, almost being murdered at sea. Multiple bombs were set off in the 1970s by groups protesting against Japanese imperialism, and the construction of Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture. In 1974, a bomb was detonated at the Mitsubishi office of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which killed eight people. It was done by the anti-imperialist group, Anti-Japanese Armed East Asian Front. At the site of the former Yodobashi reservoir in Shinjuku, a new plaza was created in 1966, the Shinjuku Westmouth. The Keio Plaza Hotel was the plaza's first super high-rise. The World Trade Center, Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, Shinjuku Mitsui Building, and Sunshine 60, were all the tallest buildings in Japan at one point. Other notable constructions were the Shinjuku Center Building, National Theatre of Japan, National Archives of Japan, United Nations University, Nakagin Capsule Tower, University of Tsukuba, 109, Tokyo Disneyland, and the Tokyo Dome. Notable transportation projects from this time were the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, and the Tōhoku Shinkansen. In Ginza, the Yurakucho Mullion business center opened in 1984, quickly receiving 200,000 daily visitors. It eventually became headquarters of The Asahi Shinbun. Ikebukuro remained one of the busiest districts in the city, getting its own "Westmouth" plaza which has Sunshine 60, but it did plateau in activity, compared to Shinjuku or Ginza. The Sanya slums did not match the city's initial economic boost after occupation. They had slow improvement in the following decades, but were still slums by 1990. Another famous slum from this time was Omoide Yokocho at the Shinjuku Westmouth. The Golden Block and Kabukicho districts became important parts of Shinjuku. Kabukicho was home to various illegal activities, including prostitution, that police cracked down on in 1984 and 1985. At the crackdown's beginning, there were about 132 illegal sex work businesses there. Afterwards, those activities were not advertised, and they were sought out by decrypting various codes. The district then tried to become a center for performing arts, and somewhat failed. Economy Japan's economic miracle slowed after the 1973 oil crisis. In the mid-70s, Tokyo experienced significant inflation. 1975 prices in the Tokyo ward were four times what they had been 25 years prior. This made manufacturing more expensive, but the economy still grew, as Japan survived importing expensive raw materials. High-rise buildings were built, huge department stores flourished, and modern concrete buildings progressively replaced wooden houses within residential zones. This process was not closely controlled by authorities, and it produced many high-rise buildings that increased road traffic and worsened parking problems. The bubble collapsed in the 1990s, and the nation entered decades of economic stagnation. His death was announced by the Grand Steward of Japan's Imperial Household Agency, Shōichi Fujimori, who revealed details about his cancer for the first time. On 24 February, his body was transferred from the Imperial Palace to the Shinjuku Gyoen Imperial Garden, where his funeral was held. His controversies led to the funeral being high-security, and was boycotted by socialist and communist leaders. 100,000 people took part in rallies denouncing him as a war criminal. Multiple explosions were detonated across the city. ==Heisei era ==

Defined by United Nations estimates, Tokyo was the world's largest city in 2018 with 37,468,000 people. Judged by city proper, it was the 12th largest with 13,515,271. Early Heisei development The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a new capitol building for the city, opened in 1991 in Nishi-Shinjuku. Built for 156.9 billion yen, it was the tallest building in Japan until 1993. The Rainbow Bridge opened in 1993, and spurred new development in Odaiba, a district on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Tokyo Opera City Center, NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building, Aijnomoto Stadium, Ghibli Museum, and the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. Notable transportation projects were the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line In the 1990s, Shibuya was the origin of the Shibuya-kei music genre, which combined pop, electronic, and hip-hop. 1995 subway sarin attack On 20 March 1995, the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo coordinated a multiple-point terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. Five members on five different lines heading towards Tsukiji Station dropped bags containing a large of amount of sarin, an "odourless, colourless and highly toxic nerve gas", in different subway cars. The fumes started sickening passengers, and were spread at each stop when passengers left different stations. The attacks killed 14 people and injured 5,500. Police raided Aum Shinrikyo headquarters in Tokyo and its laboratory in Yamanashi, and seized the toxic chemicals used to create the sarin. Later that year, a dozen of the cult's highest figures were arrested in nationwide raids, including the leader Shoko Asahara. He and six other members were executed in 2018. Governorship of Yukio Aoshima Yukio Aoshima, Tokyo's governor from 1995 to 1999, was previously an entertainer and Diet member. As an independent, he won the 1995 gubernatorial election. He fulfilled his campaign promise of canceling the World City Expo '96 in Odaiba, which disrupted several large construction projects, and was opposed by the city assembly. The expo was planned to make permanent housing for 50,000 residents, and 2.6 million tickets had been sold in advance at the time of cancellation. In May 1995, Aum Shinrikyo tried to kill Aoshima at his Tokyo City Hall office. They sent a mail bomb there, hidden in a book which exploded days later and injured his secretary, Masaaki Utsumi. Aoshima was not present, as he won the election in April and had not moved in yet. Disasters in Kōtō after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquakeIn 2001, the Meisei 56 building in Kabukicho caught fire, and 44 people were killed. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu was felt in Tokyo. The seismic intensity in Tokyo was 5+ on the JMA seismic intensity scale. Soil liquefaction was evident in areas of reclaimed land around the city. Approximately 30 homes or buildings were destroyed and 1,046 other buildings were damaged. Power shortages caused rolling blackouts in Tokyo, beginning on 14 March. Radioactivity was later detected in Tokyo's tap water. All of Japan's ports were shut down after the earthquake, though the ones in Tokyo and southwards re-opened sooner. Late Heisei development in 2014The Midtown Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper in Akasaka, was the tallest building in Tokyo when construction was completed in January 2007. In 2011, Japan's tallest structure, the Tokyo Skytree, was completed. It is 634 meters high, and surpassed the CN Tower in Toronto as the world's tallest free-standing structure. During Tokyo's 2016 bid, Japan considered building a new National Stadium. The stadium would have cost $1.3 billion, and it never came to fruition; the International Olympic Committee criticized the plan as being a source for potential disaster, as the stadium was surrounded on three sides by water. In 2011, Japan's sports ministry started considering renovating the National Stadium if the city were to win the bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2013, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. The old National Stadium was demolished in 2015, and a different version of a new stadium was built from 2016 to 2019 for ¥157 billion ($1.4 billion). Other notable constructions were Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower, Shibuya Scramble Square, National Art Center, and Toranoman Hills. == Reiwa era ==

|250x250px|leftThe 2020 COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected Tokyo. After the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global public health emergency in January, there were fears it would affect the 2020 Olympics, which were planned for that summer. In February, Olympic qualifying tournaments were cancelled. A Tokyo 2020 official said the games would continue as usual. In March, the International Olympic Committee announced the games would be postponed by a year. and the closing ceremony was on 8 August. The United States received the most medals, at 113. Japan, in third place behind China, received 58. The 2020 games were the most expensive Olympics at the time, costing $15.4 billion. Different sources say the Olympics either helped Tokyo's economy, or worsened it. In 2024, there was a collision on a Haneda Airport runway between two planes, a Japan Airlines commercial flight and a Japan Coast Guard rescue plane. The collision ignited destroyed both aircraft; five of the six Coast Guard crew died, with only the captain surviving, and everyone on board the Japan Airlines flight survived. Notable buildings from the Reiwa era so far are the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu complex (and its centerpiece, Yaesu Central Tower), and the Azabudai Hills complex in Toranoman, which includes Japan's current tallest building, Mori JP Tower, and the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower. Two notable projects under construction are the Torch Tower and the Nihonbashi 1-Chome Central District Redevelopment. ==See also==