Edo Boom
The Chic and Ecological World of 18th-Century Japan
Until about 140 years ago, Tokyo was called “Edo.” Ieyasu Tokugawa, the general who won and ended the long period of war, established Edo as the national capital in 1603. This period of the Tokugawa Shogunate is also known as the Edo Jidai (1603–1867) after the new capital city. In the past few years, Japan has seen a rising interest the Edo era in many fields: literature, fashion, entertainment, lifestyle, and even economics. Bookstores have a designated space for Edo-related books, traditional performing arts such as Kabuki and Rakugo are gaining wider audiences, and colleges are offering semester-long classes on the Edo Jidai. This Edo Boom started a little before the 400th anniversary of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 2003, and it is still going strong. This past December, the Tokyo National Museum held a special exhibition about the Tokugawa family, “Dai Tokugawa Ten (Great Tokugawa Exhibition), which attracted 400,000 visitors in two months.
This boom is not fueled merely by Japanese nostalgia. Nowadays, Japanese people see an ideal way of life in the Edo Jidai, a time during which people lived peacefully. Although there were ups and downs, the economy was prosperous for about 260 years. Numerous public works were carried out, and there was a high demand for labor. This created other demands, and, naturally, the economy grew. Thanks to the stability of the economy and life without war, people were able to enjoy their own leisure time and spend money on entertainment. It is during this period that Japanese pop culture bloomed and developed, including Kabuki (highly stylized, male-only theater), Rakugo (comic storytelling), Joruri (storytelling with music), and Haikai (Japanese poetry). Geisha culture evolved during the Edo Jidai, and arts such as Ukiyoe (wood block printing) and sports such as Sumo (Japanese wrestling) became popular. Even though they are over 300 years old, the essence of this culture is not outdated at all.
People of the Edo Jidai actually lived the way of LOHAS (Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability) and practiced slow-living, which are now considered trendy. They recycled, ate local and seasonal food, used natural resources responsibly and with a focus on sustainability, and protected nature. The people of Edo lived the ideal ecological lives that are sought after nowadays.
The best example of how much Japanese people enjoy Edo culture now is probably the Edo Bunka Rekishi Kentei (Edo Culture and History Certificate Examination), which was launched two years ago. This tests your knowledge about culture in the Edo Jidai and grades you in three degrees. According to the organization of the exam, your knowledge is enough to travel Edo if you pass grade 3. Grade 2 allows you to live and study in Edo. If you successfully accomplish the most difficult grade, you are qualified to be a tourist guide in Edo. Official textbooks are published, and test preparation classes are even offered. More than 20,000 people took this exam just for fun in the past two years.
Recognized as one of the most prestigious performing arts,
Kabuki has been gaining a younger audience during this Edo Boom.
Edo Komon is a textile that was first introduced for the formal wear of the samurai class.
Later, it spread to other classes. It looks plain from a distance,
but it has a sophisticated geometric pattern.
Textbooks for the Edo Culture and History Examination.
