© The Trustees of the British Museum
by Kunisato 1856
The Edo period or Tokugawa period is the period between 1603 and 1868, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyō. This city was the largest city in Japan and one of the biggest cities in the world at the time. (estimated 1 million people lived there in the mid-18th centuries)
Civic culture flourished in the Edo period.
Because the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the nation for 200 years, there were no major wars or conflicts for a long time.
The focus of this comic is the period around 1830- .
by Utagawa Toyokuni
https://ja.ukiyo-e.org/image/kruml/Kochoro-KUNISADA-1786-to-1865-actors18
by Utagawa Toyokuni in1855
The Tenpō famine (the Great Tenpō famine) was one of the four great famine during Edo period, it affected Japan from 1833- 1837. The famine was most severe in northern Honshū and was caused by flooding and cold weather. It killed more than 300,000 people across the nation.
The last year of the famine, Ōshio Heihachirō led a revolt in Osaka against corrupt officials who refused to help feed the impoverished residents of the city. It encouraged other revolts to happen in other places.
There was not only a famine, but also a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Sanriku region which caused a Tsunami disaster in the area.
After 200 years of closing the country, American merchants ship appeared off the west coast of Japan.
These incidents made the government weak and revealed the rotten officials who profited while commoners suffered.
*The counselor did the main politics instead of the Shogun.
The government expelled the super poplar Kabuki actors from Edo as well as script writers.
Hundreds of Yose theater were forced to closed down or moved to the outside Edo.
Hairdressers were put out of business.
The government sought to regulate finances and control citizens by limiting their activities.
However, the reason why the Shogunate's finances deteriorated was not because of the Tenpo famine or because of the citizens, but because the shogun loved the luxurious life style too much.
He had 40 wives and 55 children. He had been in the Shogun position for 50 years and had never been interested in politics.
by Kuniyoshi
Kabuki actors were the major theme in Ukiyo-e and major income for the industries.
Strict publishing controls forced many publishers to go out of business.
*This guy surrounded by cats is said to be a portrait of Kuniyoshi. He is famous for cats-lover, He leaves many anthropomorphic cats and humorous works with cats.
National Diet Library: https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1305293
© The Trustees of the British Museum
These works show the irony of the Shogunate's strict publication control and the spirit of trying to make fun of the restrictions.
In the end, the Tenpo reforms were massively unsuccessful.
Hito o baka nishita hito da [Someone Who Makes a Fool of People] by Kuniyoshi