Ukiyo described the urban lifestyle, especially the pleasure-seeking aspects, of Edo-period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

 Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 (1600–1867). The "Floating World" culture developed in Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...

, the licensed red-light district

Red-light district

A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...

 of Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 (modern Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

), which was the site of many brothels

Prostitution in Japan

Prostitution in Japan has existed throughout the country's history.While the Anti-Prostitution Law of 1956 states that "No person may either do prostitution or become the customer of it," various loopholes, liberal interpretations of the law, and loose enforcement have allowed the sex industry to...

, chashitsu

Chashitsu

In Japanese tradition, architectural spaces designed to be used for tea ceremony gatherings are known as chashitsu ....

tea houses, and kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 theaters frequented by Japan's growing middle class. The ukiyo culture also arose in other cities such as Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

 and Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

. The famous Japanese woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e

' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...

, or "pictures of the Floating World", had their origins in these districts and often depicted scenes of the Floating World itself such as geisha

Geisha

, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...

, kabuki actors, sumo

Sumo

is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...

 wrestlers, samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

, chōnin

Chonin

was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well. Nōmin were not considered chōnin...

 and prostitutes.

The term is also an ironic allusion to the homophone

Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...

 "Sorrowful World" (憂き世), the earthly plane of death and rebirth from which Buddhists sought release.

Timeline

• 20 October 1600: Tokugawa Ieyasu
  Tokugawa Ieyasu
   was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
  
   gained ascendancy of all Japan after winning the Battle of Sekigahara
  Battle of Sekigahara
  The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
  
  .
• 1603: Tokugawa Ieyasu
  Tokugawa Ieyasu
   was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
  
   granted title of shogun
  Shogun
  A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
  
   from Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
   and established the Edo Period
  Edo period
  The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
  
   and Tokugawa Shogunate
  Tokugawa shogunate
  The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
  
   in Edo
  Edo
  , also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
  
  , Japan.
• 1603: Izumo no Okuni
  Izumo no Okuni
  was the originator of kabuki theater. She was believed to be a miko at the Grand Shrine of Izumo who began performing this new style of dancing, singing, and acting in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto.-Early years:...
  
   began dancing Kabuki
  Kabuki
  is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
  
   in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto. It was initially an all-female undertaking.
• 1605: Tokugawa Ieyasu
  Tokugawa Ieyasu
   was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
  
   abdicated his official position as shogun to his son and heir, Tokugawa Hidetada
  Tokugawa Hidetada
  was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...
  
  . Ieyasu remained in control of Japan as the Cloistered Shogun or Ogosho (大御所).
• 1616: Ogosho Ieyasu died at age 75. He is succeeded by his son, Tokugawa Hidetada.
• 1617: Tokugawa Hidetada restricted prostitution in Edo to the Yoshiwara
  Yoshiwara
  Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...
  
   district.
• 1623: Hidetada resigned the government to his eldest son and heir, Tokugawa Iemitsu
  Tokugawa Iemitsu
  Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...
  
  . Hidetada remained in control of Japan as the Cloistered Shogun or Ogosho (大御所).
• 1623–1632: Ogosho Hidetada enacted anti-Christian policies.
• 1624–1644: Shinmachi (新町) was established as a restricted courtesan's district in Osaka
  Osaka
  is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
  
  .
• 1629: Women were banned from appearing in kabuki performances.
• 1632: Ogosho Hidetada died at age 53. He was succeeded by his son, Tokugawa Iemitsu.
• 1633-1639: Tokugawa Iemitsu issued a number of edicts and policies relating to kaikin (海禁, "maritime restrictions"), which restricted contact with the outside world. These were later known as Sakoku
  Sakoku
  was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
  
   (鎖国, "country in chains" or "lock up of country"). In-coming trade was restricted to Dutch and Chinese traders, while out-going trade was restricted to Ryūkyū Kingdom and Korea. In addition, all foreign books were banned (until 1720).
• 1635: As part of the Kaikin, the Japanese people were forbidden to travel abroad and those who were already abroad were not permitted to come home.
• 1635: Sankin kōtai
  Sankin kotai
  was a policy of the shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. The purpose was to control the daimyo. In adopting the policy, the shogunate was continuing and refining similar policies of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1635, a law required sankin kōtai, which was already an established...
  
   (already an established custom) was enacted into law. The daimyo
  Daimyo
  is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
  
   of every Han
  Han (Japan)
  The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
  
   moved periodically between Edo and his han, typically spending alternate years in each place. His wife and heir were required to remain in Edo as hostages.
• 1640: Prostitution in Kyōto
  Kyoto
  is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
  
   was restricted to the Shimabara
  Shimabara, Kyoto
  Shimabara was a courtesans' district in Kyoto. It was established in 1640 for a brothel owned by Hara Saburoemon, and was closed in 1958, when prostitution was outlawed in Japan. The name Shimabara most likely refers to the large gate that resembled the gate of Shimabara castle in Bizen...
  
   district.
• 8 June 1651: Shogun Iemitsu died at age 47. He was succeeded by his son, Tokugawa Ietsuna
  Tokugawa Ietsuna
  was the fourth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Early Life :...
  
  . As Ietsuna was only 10 years old, he had five regents to rule in his name.
• 1652: Young male actors were banned from appearing in kabuki performances.
• 1657: Great Fire of Meireki
  Great Fire of Meireki
  The , also known as the Furisode Fire, destroyed 60-70% of the Japanese capital city of Edo on March 2, 1657, this is the third year of the Meireki Imperial era...
  
   destroys much of Edo. In the following years, Edo is rebuilt with wider streets and some districts reorganised.
• 1663: Regency period officially ends, although the regents continue as advisers to the Shogun Ietsuna.
• 1663: Shogun Ietsuna outlaws the practice of Junshi
  Junshi
  , refers to the medieval Japanese act of vassals committing seppuku upon the death of their lord...
  
   (vassals committing seppuku (ritual suicide) upon the death of their lord).
• 4 June 1680: Shogun Ietsuna died at age 39. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
  Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
  was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
  
  .
• 1682 Shogun Tsunayoshi introduces morality and sumptuary laws. Prostitution was banned, waitresses could not be employed in tea houses, and rare and expensive fabrics were banned.
• 1687 Shogun Tsunayoshi issued the Shorui Awaremi no Rei, an order prohibiting the killing of animals and establishing an administrator of animal protection. This, and other similar orders, earned him the nickname "Dog Shogun".
• 21 April 1701: Asano Naganori
  Asano Naganori
  was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...
  
  , the daimyo of Akō
  Ako
  Ako or AKO may refer to:*Akō, Hyōgo, a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan*Ako, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon*Ako, the Japanese name of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky*Ako, the Livonian chieftain of Salaspils, killed in 1206*Alpha Kai Omega...
  
   han, can no longer bear the insults of Kira Yoshinaka and struck him in Edo Castle. He was ordered to commit seppuku, while Kira went unpunished.
• 14 December 1702: Early in the morning in a driving wind during a heavy fall of snow, the forty-seven ronin
  Forty-seven Ronin
  The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
  
   of Asano Naganori attacked Kira Yoshinaka's mansion and killed him to avenge their master. All but one of them then commit seppuku. Their story goes on to become a famous legend that influenced many plays and stories of the era.
• 1705: Shogun Tsunayoshi dissolved the rich Yodoya merchant house, confiscating its wealth.
• 1706: Edo was hit by a typhoon.
• 1707: Mt. Fuji erupted.
• 19 February 1709: Shogun Tsunayoshi died at the age of 62. He was succeeded by his nephew, Tokugawa Ienobu
  Tokugawa Ienobu
  was the sixth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-great grandson of Tokugawa...
  
  , the son of his other brother, Tokugawa Tsunashige.
• 1710: Early in his reign, Shogun Ienobu reversed some of the laws of his predecessor. He also relaxed the rules on censorship.
• 1711: Through a series of mediated discussions, relations improved between the Shogunate and Emperor Nakamikado.
• 12 November 1712: Shogun Ienobu died at the age of 51. He was succeeded by his son, Tokugawa Ietsugu
  Tokugawa Ietsugu
  Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川 家継 was the seventh shogun of the Tokugawa Dynasty, who ruled from 1713 until his death in 1716...
  
  . As his son was only three years old at the time, he was placed under the protection and advice of Confucian scholar Arai Hakuseki
  Arai Hakuseki
  was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo Period, who advised the Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi . Hakuseki was his pen name...
  
  .
• 1716: Metal currency was introduced, replacing the rice standard. Rules on foreign contact were relaxed slightly.
• 19 June 1716: Shogun Ienobu died at the age of seven. The new shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune
  Tokugawa Yoshimune
  was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Lineage:...
  
  , was chosen from one of the lineal Tokugawa branches.
• 1716: Shogun Ienobu introduced financial reforms, the Kyōhō reforms
  Kyoho Reforms
  The were an array of economic policies introduced by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1736 Japan. These reforms were instigated by the eighth Tokugawa shogun of Japan, Tokugawa Yoshimune, encompassing the first twenty years of his shogunate....
  
  .
• 1720: The ban on foreign books was relaxed, with Chinese and Dutch books being imported.
• 1745: Shogun Yoshimune retired in favour of his oldest son, Tokugawa Ieshige
  Tokugawa Ieshige
  Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川 家重 was the ninth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.The first son of Tokugawa Yoshimune, his mother was the daughter of Okubo Tadanao, known as Osuma no kata. His childhood name was Nagatomi-maru. He underwent the genpuku coming-of-age ceremony in 1725...
  
  .
• 1748: The first adaptation of the story of the forty-seven Ronin, the Kanadehon Chūshingura
  Chushingura
  is the name for fictionalized accounts of the historical revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master, Asano Naganori. Including the early , the story has been told in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, television shows and other media...
  
   (仮名手本忠臣蔵), appeared as a puppet show and Kabuki play.
• 1790: As part of the Kansei Reforms
  Kansei Reforms
  The were a series of reactionary policy changes and edicts which were intended to cure a range of perceived problems which had developed in mid-18th century Tokugawa Japan....
  
  , censor seals were required on all commercial single-sheet prints.
• 1791: As a result of the Kansei Reforms, the artist Santō Kyōden
  Santo Kyoden
  was a Japanese poet, writer and artist in the Edo period. His real name was , and he was also known popularly as . He is the brother of Santō Kyōzan.- Life :...
  
   and his publisher Tsutaya Jūzaburō
  Tsutaya Juzaburo
  was the founder and head of the Tsutaya publishing house in Edo period Japan, which produced the ukiyo-e woodblock print works of many of the period's most famous artists, along with illustrated books...
  
   were prosecuted for publishing three sharebon
  Sharebon
  The was a pre-modern Japanese literary genre. Plots revolved around humor and entertainment at the pleasure quarters. It is a sub-genre of gesaku.-Characteristics:As a sub-genre of gesaku, humor was a major aspect to each story...
  
   ("books of wit and fashion") set in the Yoshiwara district.
• 1842: As a result of the Tenpō reforms
  Tenpo reforms
  The were an array of economic policies introduced in 1842 by the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan.These reforms were efforts to resolve perceived problems in military, economic, agricultural, financial and religious systems....
  
  , Ichikawa Danjûrô VII
  Ichikawa Ebizo V
  Ichikawa Danjūrō VII was a Japanese kabuki actor who specialized in male hero roles, said to be the greatest of the 19th century...
  
   was banished from Edo because of his extravagant lifestyle and ostentatious stage productions. He used genuine samurai
  Samurai
  is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
  
   weapons and armor on the stage rather than the usual military stage props.
• July 1853: Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry entered Edo Bay with four American war ships, and demanded that Japan end their policy of seclusion.
• 31 March 1854: At the Convention of Kanagawa
  Convention of Kanagawa
  On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Tokugawa shogunate.-Treaty of Peace and Amity :...
  
  , Perry forced the Shogun to sign the "Treaty of Peace and Amity", allowing trade with America.
• February 1855: Japan signed the Treaty of Shimoda
  Treaty of Shimoda
  The Treaty of Shimoda of 1855, formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia , was signed between the Russian Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin and Toshiakira Kawaji of Japan in the city of Shimoda, Izu Province, Japan, on February 7, 1855...
  
  , allowing trade with Russia.
• 1855–1860: Japan signed similar trading treaties with other western countries.
• 3 January 1868: The Meiji Emperor declared "Meiji Restoration
  Meiji Restoration
  The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
  
  ", ending the Tokugawa Shogunate
  Tokugawa shogunate
  The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
  
   and the Edo period
  Edo period
  The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
  
  .