The Tokugawa Shogunate (1450–1750)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate, domestic governance, isolationism (Sakoku), and relations with the West.

Shogunate

A centralized military government established in Japan, headed by a supreme ruler known as the shogun.

Tokugawa

The most powerful shogun who defeated all rival shoguns and opposition to unify all of Japan, including the resistant North, under a centralized government.

Edo

The capital city of the Tokugawa Shogunate, strategically surrounded by friendly daimyo supporters and shogun allies to maintain centralized security.

Samurai

The traditional Japanese warrior class that transitioned from active military fighters into bureaucratic and administrative officials during the peace of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Edo Period (1600–1868)

An era of political unification and peace lasting nearly 200 years that saw increases in Japanese population, wealth, knowledge, and infrastructure development.

Shimabara Rebellion (1637)

A domestic uprising in southern Japan over increased taxes, largely fought by recently converted Catholic Japanese peasants, which led the shogunate to eradicate Western influence.

Sakoku

The isolationist policy initiated by the Tokugawa Shogunate that completely cut off Japan from the outside world, enforcing a death penalty for unauthorized foreign interaction while permitting limited trade only with China, Korea, and the Dutch.

Daimyo

The greater and lesser provincial lords of Japan whose military retinues, castle construction, and castle repairs were strictly regulated by the central Tokugawa government.

Catholic Spanish and Portuguese Missionaries

European religious figures who aggressively pursued Christian missionary work in China, Japan, and the Philippines, whose teachings were ultimately rejected by Japanese authorities as barbaric or overly individualistic.

Decree of 1615 (Regulation of Warrior Households)

A Tokugawa edict designed to centralize state control by forbidding new castle construction, mandating reports for castle repairs, expelling rebellious soldiers, and limiting daimyo escorts to twenty mounted warriors.