History of Tokyo

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Tokyo is Japan's capital city and prefecture. Defined by city proper area, it was the world's 12th largest city in 2018, with 13,515,271 residents. The history of Tokyo starts with archaeological remains in the area from around 5,000 years ago. Tokyo's oldest temple is possibly Sensō-ji in Asakusa, founded in 628. The city's original name, Edo, first appears in the 12th century. From 1457 to 1640, Edo Castle was constructed, and it became the city's center. Tokugawa Ieyasu, after conquering Edo's island of Honshu in 1600, chose Edo to replace Kyoto as Japan's capital. Japan's monarchy at Kyoto became a symbolic entity, as actual power was given to Edo's Tokugawa shogunate. By the 1650s, Edo became Japan's largest city, and by 1720, it was the world's largest. The Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 killed around 108,000 people. After Japan opened itself to most foreigners in 1854, there was conflict over Japan's governance which led to the Boshin War and Meiji Restoration. The shogunate was...

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