The area around Matsudo has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and archaeologists have found remains from the
Jōmon period, as well as
burial tumuli from the
Kofun period. During the
Edo period, the area was
tenryō controlled directly by the
Tokugawa shogunate, and contained a number of horse ranches providing
war horses for the Shōgun's armies. It also developed as a
post station on the
Mito Kaidō connecting
Edo with
Mito, and supplied vegetables and the produce to
Edo via its waterways. Matsudo Shrine has a close connection with
Tokugawa Mitsukuni and the Matsudo Tojo was the residence of
Tokugawa Akitake, the last
daimyō of
Mito Domain after the
Meiji restoration. Matsudo Town was created in
Higashikatsushika District Chiba Prefecture with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Matsudo attained city status on October 1, 1943. On September 1, 1954, the neighboring town of Kashiwa merged with neighboring Kogane Town and Tsuchi and Tanaka villages to form the new city of . However, many politicians in Kogane Town were vehemently opposed to the merger, and forced its dissolution on October 15, 1954 with most of former Kogane Town merging with Matsudo instead. Beginning in the 1960s, the rapid economic growth in Japan (and the Tokyo area in particular) led to a construction boom in Matsudo and the development of the area as a major suburb of Tokyo. Matsudo is now the fourth-largest city in Chiba Prefecture and a major
bedroom community in the
Greater Tokyo Area. ==Government==