What is 15
The rigid four-tier social hierarchy shinōkōshō placed samurai at the top and this commercial group at the very bottom.
What is Merchants
This U.S. Commodore sailed his "Black Ships" into Tokyo Bay in 1853, forcing Japan to end its long period of isolation.
Who is Matthew Perry
Artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige achieved worldwide fame for mass-producing these colorful prints of the "floating world.
What is ukiyo-e
Who was the first ever leader in this period?
Who is Tokugawa Leyasu
Who were second in command or in the same social class as the shoguns.
Military lords, otherwise known as Daimyo
Fearing foreign colonization, the Shogunate banned this religion and expelled its European missionaries.
What is Christianity
Unlike the slow and subtle elite Noh theater, this highly energetic performance style captured merchant audiences with spectacular stunts and makeup.
What is kabuki
Which leader enabled the Sakoku policy, removing Christianity in Japan?
Who is Tokugawa Leimitsu
Because their stipends were tied to a fixed amount of rice, many samurai fell deeply into debt to this lower social class.
What is Merchants
European trade during the isolation era was restricted exclusively to merchants from this country, who were confined to a tiny artificial island
What is netherlands
A proper poem of this specific 17-syllable Japanese genre requires a 5-7-5 line structure and a kigo, or season word.
What is haiku
Which Tokugawa shogun was the leader who initiated the Kyōhō Reforms to save the economy by allowing the importation of Western books?
Who is Tokugawa Yoshimune
As urban wealth expanded, these city-dwelling commoners used their money to buy influence, heavily altering Edo-period culture.
Who are the chōnin
Sparked by high taxes and religious persecution, this 1637 rebellion by Catholic peasants led the shogunate to lock down Japan's borders.
What is the Shimabara Rebellion?
To control and profit from urban nightlife, the shogunate licensed walled entertainment districts, such as this famous one in Edo.
What is the yoshiwari district
What was the name of the fifth Tokugawa shogun who imposed laws to protect animals from cruelty according to Buddhism?
Who is Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
During 250 years of peace, this warrior code shifted its focus away from battlefield martial arts to civil literacy and bureaucracy.
What is Bushido
Meaning "Dutch Learning," this term referred to the underground study of Western science, anatomy, and medicine using smuggled texts.
What is rangaku
Fueled by high urban literacy rates, the Edo book market was dominated by satirical comedies and these types of illustrated guidebooks
What are travel guides.