Overview
Tokugawa authority lasted for 265 years in Japan with Edo (now Tokyo) as its political center. In 1867, the shogunate ended and primary power was returned to the emperor.
The Tokugawa era had some problems. Over time, the military government grew dull and strict. It discouraged individual freedoms and slowed commercial development. Government financial problems led to cuts in the income of samurai (professional soldiers). Their declining incomes added to the samurai's growing dissatisfaction with Japan's rigid social structure, which prevented them from rising to better stations in life. Finally, poor harvests and harsh lords drove many peasants to join together in protest.