Tokyo is the capital of Japan and one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with approximately 13.7 million people. History remembers several cases when the names of cities were replaced by others, in which case everything turned out to be much more interesting.

History of Edo

The city is located on the island of Honshu, near the Gulf of Japan, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. For a long time there were no buildings in this territory. This territory was inhabited by people in the first century BC, these were underdeveloped tribes that built only primitive dwellings.

Only in the XII century on these territories drew attention. They arrived Taro Shigenada - a cult warrior, who occupies an honorable place in the history of Japan. He noticed that in this place near the island is a bay. Taro built a fort near it, which acquired a military purpose.

Since the building belonged to him, over time, he received the name Edo, which means “entrance to the bay” (according to the old Japanese tradition, the name was received at the place of residence). For three centuries, the building controlled the bay, which attracted the attention of the rulers.

The construction of the city

For several centuries, various rulers tried to get the fort under their control. Only in 1457, Edo Castle was built here, owned by Ota Dokan, ruling the Kantто districts. For more than a hundred years, the building belonged to his clan.

In 1590, the ruler of Tokugawa attacked the castle and captured it.Since the building had a favorable location, Tokugawa settled in it and made it the capital of its shogunate. However, the state capital was still the city of Kyoto.

The development of the castle continued, and around it the city gradually began to grow, taking in more and more inhabitants. The control of the bay gave access to water, fish and other marine resources, which allowed a comfortable existence.

Very quickly, the city of Edo became known not only in Japan, but also in the world, and was one of the most developed.

Capital transfer

Over the 20 years since the rapid development of the city, the infrastructure of Edo has become increasingly complex. This made it possible to create a developed army capable of defeating any war. In 1615, the Tokugawa army defeated the remaining clans that controlled territory in Japan, thus coming to absolute power.

Having become the sole ruler, Tokugawa created various governing settlements in the country to help control power in Japan. Since he lived all this time in Edo, the city was actively developing and expanding its territory.

Interesting fact: In the 18th century, Edo became one of the most populated cities on the planet.

Renaming Edo in Tokyo

For 250 years, large buildings were built in the city, roads were laid and infrastructure was established. When the famous Meiji restoration began in 1868, completely redoing the Japanese regime, Emperor Mutsuhito came to power and settled in Edo. In the same year he moved the capital from Kyoto to Edo.It was decided to rename the city in Tokyo, which means “eastern capital" Since this happened during the industrial revolution, the construction of railways, factories and factories began.

Also, those who disagreed with the transfer of the status of the capital from Kyoto appeared. The rapid development of Tokyo convinced them of the opposite.

But despite the favorable location and significance for the country, the history of Tokyo remembers many troubles. After renaming the city periodically there are earthquakes. In 1923, tremors of such power occurred that half of the buildings were destroyed. And during the Second World War, Tokyo was the main target of enemy aircraft. Despite this, the capital is constantly developing and growing. This is largely due to the continuously arriving people from neighboring settlements who occupy jobs and bring benefits.

The city of Edo was renamed Tokyo in 1868 during the Meiji Restoration. Emperor Mutsuhito, who came to power, transferred the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo. After that, the city was renamed Tokyo, which means "eastern capital."