德川幕府(1603～1867年)

Tokugawa shogunate

日本的军事政府，由幕府将军德川家康於1603年创建。德川幕府体制对日本未来的264年统治起到了重要的作用。德川家康在江户（即东京）建立了他的首府，并根据友善程度任命领地的大名（即领主），那些对他存有敌意的大名只能得到周边的土地，而那些与其结为盟友的大名则得到江户附近的土地。而各地大名必须轮流返回江户居住的参觐交代也更好的帮助德川幕府控制下属大名。为了保护日本不受外界，特别是不受基督教传教士的影响，德川幕府制定新的政策，禁止日本国民出国，同时也严禁外国人入境（中国人和荷兰商人除外，但他们也只允许在长崎港进行贸易）。丰臣秀吉还将民众分为四个固定的社会等级，而武士阶级成为日本的国家官僚，并定期配发薪俸。随着民众来往江户及其他城市次数的增加，城市和城市文化都得到很大的发展（参阅Edo period和Genroku period），商人阶级开始兴起。到18世纪中期，德川幕府出现财政困难，其财政改革也宣告失败。在德川幕府统治的最後三十年里，大量的农民开始起义，武士阶级也出现了动荡的局面。1867年，在长州和萨摩两藩的攻击下，德川幕府倒台。亦请参阅Meiji Restoration、Oda Nobunaga。

English version：

1603～1867年

Tokugawa shogunate

Military government of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu with his assumption of the title of shogun in 1603. The structures Ieyasu set in place were effective for governing Japan for the next 264 years. He established his capital at Edo (Tokyo) and assigned daimyo han (domains) according to their friendliness or hostility toward the Tokugawa: hostile daimyo received domains on the nation's periphery, while allies and collateral houses were given domains nearer to Edo. Sankin kotai, a system of alternate attendance at Edo, also helped the shogunate keep control of the daimyo. To protect Japan from outside influences, particularly Christian missionaries, a new policy of national seclusion forbade Japanese to travel abroad and forbade foreigners to visit Japan (except for Chinese and Dutch traders, who were allowed to trade only at the port of Nagasaki). Toyotomi Hideyoshi's division of society into four fixed classes was preserved; the samurai class became the civil bureaucrats, paid with a stipend in rice. Increased travel to Edo and other cities led to urban development and urban culture (see Edo period, Genroku period); the merchant class flourished. By the mid-18th century the shogunate began to suffer financially; fiscal reform proved largely unsuccessful. During its last 30 years there were numerous peasant uprisings (see ikki) and evidence of samurai unrest. It was overthrown by the domains of Satsuma and Choshu in 1867. See also Meiji Restoration, Oda Nobunaga.