Life of a samurai

Life of a Samurai during the Edo Period (1603 - 1868)

By kuorwex
  • 1675 BCE

    First colored woodblock

    First colored woodblock prints appear in last quarter of 17th century.
  • Tokugawa Leyasu appoints himself Shogun (1543-1616)

    Tokugawa Leyasu appoints himself Shogun (1543-1616)
    Tokugawa Ieyasu appoints himself shogun, formalizing Edo as the new capital from Kyoto.
  • Period: to

    Edo Period

    Shoguns were hereditary military commanders that the emperor really appointed. The shoguns themselves, who collaborated closely with other social classes in Japanese society, had the true authority, nevertheless. Shoguns collaborated with state workers who oversaw initiatives like trade and taxes.
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu dies,

    Tokugawa Ieyasu dies, transferring power to his sons.
  • Women banned from the kabuki stage.

    Women banned from the kabuki stage. Kabuki actors were often the subject of Japanese woodblock prints.
  • Kano Sanraku dies

    Kano Sanraku dies (1559-1635). Founded Kano School, the dominant traditional approach to Japanese painting of the era.
  • Policy of Japanese national seclusion established

    Policy of Japanese national seclusion established. Only Nagasaki Island is open, and only to traders from the Netherlands.
  • World Event

    The Dutch East India Company takes control of parts of Indonesia from the Portuguese and Moslem rulers.
  • World Event

    The Ming Dynasty collapses. It had held power in China since 1368.
  • World Event

    Vienna under siege by Ottoman Turks.
  • World Event

    Treaty of Nerchinsk between Russia and China halts Russian expansion into Siberia.