How did the Tokugawa Period contribute to the economical and political success of Modern Japan?

Introduction:

Important aspects of the Tokugawa period led to the development of Early Modern Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate’s evolving economic and political structure became the foundation for the political economy of the rapid modernisation of Japan, which was to follow after.

Tokugawa Leyasu, the great Shogun
This period between 1603 (when Tokugawa Leyasu became the great “Shogun” of the Tokugawa Shogunate) and 1867 (when Tokugawa Yoshinobu formally returned political authority to the emperor) is also called the Edo Period. Edo is the former name for what is now Tokyo. This period was named after Edo castle, where the emperor lived, and was also the headquarters of the feudal government at the time.

This period in Japan’s history has also been interpreted in contrary ways- once dismissed as the “Feudal dark age” it is now looked upon as the “ Golden Age of Peace and Prosperity”, before the arrival of Western imperialism changed Japan’s place in the world forever.

For centuries before and after the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Emperor reigned powerless in Kyoto, while military men really ran the country.

Edo Castle today [ 1 ]
Edo Castle today [ 1 ]
Edo Castle today, Chiyoda, Tokyo , Japan
Edo Castle today, Chiyoda, Tokyo , Japan

Edo Castle c. 1638

What was the structure of the “Four class system” introduced in the Tokugawa Period?

The Tokugawa Shogunate intentionally created a social order called “The Four Divisions of Society” that brought piece and order as well as stabilised the country after many civil wars.

It was composed of:

* Samurai * Farming Peasants * Artisans * Merchants *
There were some subdivisions as illustrated below:

Social Hierachy Tokugawa Period
Social Hierachy Tokugawa Period

Despite