Edo - Geography

Geography

The city was laid out as a castle town around Edo Castle. The area surrounding the castle (known as the Yamanote) consisted largely of daimyō (feudal lords') mansions, whose families lived in Edo as part of the sankin kōtai system; the daimyō made journeys in alternating years to Edo, and used the mansions for their entourages. It was this extensive samurai (noble warrior class) population which defined the character of Edo, particularly in contrast to the two major cities of Kyoto and Osaka (neither of which were ruled by a daimyō or had a significant samurai population). Kyoto's character was defined by the Imperial Court, the court nobles, its Buddhist temples and its history; Osaka was the country's commercial center, dominated by the chōnin (merchant class).

Areas further from the center were the domain of the chōnin (町人, literally "townsfolk"). The area known as Shitamachi (下町, lit. "lower town" or "downtown"), northeast of the castle, was a center of urban culture. The ancient Buddhist temple of Sensō-ji still stands in Asakusa, marking the center of an area of traditional Shitamachi culture. Some shops in the streets near the temple have existed continuously in the same location since the Edo period.

The Sumida River (then called the Great River, 大川), ran along the eastern edge of the city. The shogunate's official rice-storage warehouses, other official buildings and some of the city's best-known restaurants were located here.

The Edo Bridge (江戸橋, Edo-bashi) marked the center of the city's commercial center, an area also known as Kuramae (蔵前, "in front of the storehouses"). Fishermen, craftsmen and other producers and retailers operated here. Shippers managed ships to and from Osaka (known as tarubune) and other cities, bringing goods into the city or transferring them from sea routes to river barges or land routes such as the Tōkaidō (which began there). This area remains the center of Tokyo's financial and business district.

The northeastern corner of the city, considered a dangerous direction in traditional onmyōdō (cosmology), is guarded from evil by a number of temples (including Sensō-ji and Kan'ei-ji). Beyond this were the districts of the eta (outcasts), who performed "unclean" work and were separated from the main parts of the city. A long dirt path extended west from the riverbank (a short distance north of the eta districts), leading along the northern edge of the city to the Yoshiwara pleasure districts. Previously located within the city proper (near Asakusa), the districts were rebuilt in this more-remote location after the Meireki Fire of 1657.