Editing Edo period (section)

=== Art, culture and entertainment ===
[[File:Red and White Plum Blossoms.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|''[[Red and White Plum Blossoms]]'' by [[Ogata Kōrin]], 1712-1716]]
In the field of art, the [[Rinpa school]] became popular. The paintings and crafts of the Rinpa school are characterized by highly decorative and showy designs using [[Gold ground|gold and silver leaves]], bold compositions with simplified objects to be drawn, repeated patterns, and a playful spirit. Important figures in the Rinpa school include [[Hon'ami Kōetsu]], [[Tawaraya Sōtatsu]], [[Ogata Kōrin]], [[Sakai Hōitsu]] and [[Suzuki Kiitsu]]. Other than the Rinpa school, [[Maruyama Ōkyo]] and [[Itō Jakuchū]] are famous for their realistic painting techniques. They produced their works under the patronage of wealthy merchants newly emerging from the economic development of this period. Following the [[Azuchi-Momoyama period]], the painters of the [[Kano school]] drew pictures on the walls and [[fusuma]]s of [[Japanese castle|castles]] and temples with the support of powerful people.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200514124121/https://media.thisisgallery.com/20199441 琳派とは？知っておきたい琳派の巨匠と代表作] January 15, 2019</ref>

[[File:Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi).jpg|thumb|Mounting for ''[[wakizashi]]'' decorated with [[Japanese lacquerware|lacquer]] of ''[[maki-e]]'' technique. 18th century]]
Due to the end of the period of civil war and the development of the economy, many crafts with high artistic value were produced. Among the samurai class, arms came to be treated like works of art, and [[Japanese sword mountings]] and [[Japanese armour]] beautifully decorated with [[Japanese lacquerware|lacquer]] of ''[[maki-e]]'' technique and metal carvings became popular. Each ''[[Han system|han]]'' ([[daimyo]] domain) encouraged the production of crafts to improve their finances, and crafts such as furnishings and ''[[inro]]'' beautifully decorated with lacquer, metal or ivory became popular among rich people. The [[Kaga Domain]], which was ruled by the [[Maeda clan]], was especially enthusiastic about promoting crafts, and the area still boasts a reputation that surpasses [[Kyoto]] in crafts even today.<ref name = "murata104120">Masayuki Murata. ''明治工芸入門'' p.104. p.120. Me no Me, 2017 {{ISBN|978-4907211110}}</ref><ref>[https://www4.city.kanazawa.lg.jp/data/open/cnt/3/14186/1/2-Application-Jpn.pdf?20110125144449 Traditional Crafts of Kanazawa.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117101218/https://www4.city.kanazawa.lg.jp/data/open/cnt/3/14186/1/2-Application-Jpn.pdf?20110125144449 |date=2022-01-17 }} [[Kanazawa City]].</ref>

For the first time, urban populations had the means and leisure time to support a new mass culture. Their search for enjoyment became known as ''[[ukiyo]]'' (the floating world), an ideal world of fashion, popular entertainment, and the discovery of aesthetic qualities in objects and actions of everyday life. This increasing interest in pursuing recreational activities helped to develop an array of new industries, many of which could be found in an area known as [[Yoshiwara]]. The district was known for being the center of Edo's developing sense of elegance and refinement.<ref>{{Harvnb|Longstreet|Longstreet|1989|p=2}}</ref> Established in 1617 as the city's shogunate-sanctioned prostitution district, it kept this designation about 250 years. Yoshiwara was home to mostly women who, due to unfortunate circumstances, found themselves working in this secluded environment.

Professional female entertainers (''[[geisha]]''), music, popular stories, ''[[Kabuki]]'' (theater) and ''[[bunraku]]'' (puppet theater), poetry, a rich literature, and art, exemplified by beautiful woodblock prints (known as ''[[ukiyo-e]]''), were all part of this flowering of culture. Literature also flourished with the talented examples of the playwright [[Chikamatsu Monzaemon]] (1653–1724) and the poet, essayist, and travel writer [[Matsuo Bashō]] (1644–1694).

[[File:Great Wave off Kanagawa2.jpg|thumb|''[[The Great Wave off Kanagawa]]'', full-colour [[ukiyo-e]] woodblock print, [[Hokusai]], {{circa|1829–1832}}]]
Ukiyo-e is a genre of painting and printmaking that developed in the late 17th century, at first depicting the entertainments of the [[Yūkaku|pleasure districts]] of Edo, such as courtesans and kabuki actors. [[Suzuki Harunobu|Harunobu]] produced the first full-colour ''[[nishiki-e]]'' prints in 1765, a form that has become synonymous to most with ukiyo-e. The genre reached a peak in technique towards the end of the century with the works of such artists as [[Torii Kiyonaga|Kiyonaga]] and [[Utamaro]]. As the Edo period came to an end a great diversity of genres proliferated: warriors, nature, folklore, and the landscapes of [[Hokusai]] and [[Hiroshige]]. The genre declined throughout the rest of the century in the face of modernization that saw ukiyo-e as both old-fashioned and laborious to produce compared to Western technologies. Ukiyo-e was a primary part of the wave of [[Japonisme]] that swept Western art in the late 19th century.

The Edo period was characterized by an unprecedented series of economic developments (despite termination of contact with the outside world) and cultural maturation, especially in terms of theater, music, and other entertainment. For example, a poetic meter for music called kinsei kouta-chō was invented during this time<ref>{{Cite book|title = Song, dance, storytelling: aspects of the performing arts in Japan|url=https://archive.org/details/songdancestoryte0000hoff|url-access = registration|publisher = China-Japan Program, Cornell University|date = 1978-06-01|language = en|first = Frank|last = Hoff|page = [https://archive.org/details/songdancestoryte0000hoff/page/130 130]}}</ref> and is still used today in folk songs. Music and theater were influenced by the social gap between the noble and commoner classes, and different arts became more defined as this gap widened.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite book|last=Nishiyama|first=Matsunosuke|url=https://archive.org/details/edoculturedailyl00nish|url-access=limited|title=Edo Culture : daily life and diversions in urban Japan, 1600-1868|date=1997|publisher=University of Hawaiì Press|isbn=0-585-30952-3|location=Honolulu, HI|pages=[https://archive.org/details/edoculturedailyl00nish/page/n194 198]–227|translator-last=Groemer|translator-first=Gerald|oclc=45728301}}</ref>

Several different types of [[kabuki]] emerged. Some, such as [[shibaraku]], were only available at a certain time of year, while some companies only performed for nobles. Fashion trends, satirization of local news stories, and advertisements were often part of kabuki theater, as well.<ref name="auto2"/> Along with kabuki, storytelling entertainments were popular among the common people, and people enjoyed [[rakugo]], a comical story, and [[kōdan]], a historical story, in a dedicated theater called [[yose]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/dglib/contents/learn/edc20/digest/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019042614/https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/dglib/contents/learn/edc20/digest/index.html|script-title=ja:寄席早わかり|language=ja|publisher=Japan Arts Council|archive-date=19 October 2022|access-date=5 November 2022}}</ref> The most popular sport was [[sumo]].

Eating out became popular due to urbanization. Particularly popular among ordinary people were [[Yatai (food cart)|stalls serving fast food]] such as [[soba]], [[sushi]], [[tempura]], and [[unagi]], [[tofu]] restaurants, teahouses and [[izakaya]] (Japanese-style pubs). A number of [[ryotei]] also opened to serve high-class food. People enjoyed eating at restaurants by buying books that listed restaurant ratings that imitated sumo rankings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~shoyu/mametisiki/reference-16.html|title=江戸の外食文化｜江戸外食文化の定着-1｜日本食文化の醤油を知る|date=December 19, 2019|access-date=July 15, 2020|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219045819/http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~shoyu/mametisiki/reference-16.html|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2020-0715-1353-51/https://www.rekihaku.ac.jp:443/outline/publication/rekihaku/196/witness.html 歴史系総合誌「歴博」第196号] National Museum of Japanese History</ref>

Gardening was a popular pastime. Especially in Edo, residences of daimyo (feudal lords) of each domain were gathered, and many gardeners existed to manage these gardens, which led to the development of horticultural techniques. Among people, [[cherry blossoms]], [[morning glories]], [[Japanese iris]]es and [[chrysanthemums]] were especially popular, and [[bonsai]] using deep pots became popular. Not only did people buy plants and appreciate flowers, but they were also enthusiastic about improving the varieties of flowers, so specialized books were published one after another. For example, Matsudaira Sadatomo produced 300 varieties of iris and published a technical book.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170711154804/http://edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/s-exhibition/special/569/%e8%8a%b1%e9%96%8b%e3%81%8f%e3%80%80%e6%b1%9f%e6%88%b8%e3%81%ae%e5%9c%92%e8%8a%b8/ 花開く江戸の園芸] Edo Tokyo Museum</ref>

Traveling became popular among people because of the improvement of roads and post towns. The main destinations were famous temples and [[Shinto shrine]]s around the country, and eating and drinking at the inns and prostitution were one of the main attractions. What people admired most was the visit to [[Ise Grand Shrine]] and the summit of [[Mount Fuji]], which are considered the most sacred places in Japan. The Ise Grand Shrine in particular has been visited by an enormous number of visitors.<ref name="auto1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20161013220353/http://cleanup.jp/life/edo/86.shtml お伊勢さま、一度は行きたい庶民の夢] Cleanup Corporation</ref><ref name="auto">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200513045734/https://sengenjinja.jp/fujikou/index.html 富士講と御師] Kitaguchihongu Sengenjinja</ref>

Historical documents record that 3.62 million people visited the shrine in 50 days in 1625. 1.18 million people visited it in three days in 1829 when the grand festival held every 20 years (''Shikinen Sengu'') was held. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for people living in remote areas, so they set up a joint fund for each village, saved their travel expenses, and went on a group trip. Local residents of [[Ise Grand Shrine]] and [[Mount Fuji]] used to send specialized advertising personnel to various parts of Japan to solicit trips to local areas to make money from tourism.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/>
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<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" widths="200" heights="220" caption="Art, culture">
File:Reading Stand with Mount Yoshino.jpg|Reading stand with [[Mt. Yoshino]], decorated with lacquer of ''maki-e'' technique. 18th century
File:Kunimasa - taikan, The actor Ichikawa Ebizo in a shibaraku role, 1796.jpg|Ukiyo-e based on kabuki actors became popular. [[Ichikawa Danjūrō V]] in the popular kabuki play ''[[Shibaraku]]'', by [[Utagawa Kunimasa]], 1796
File:Hiroshige Bowl of Sushi.jpg|Ukiyo-e depicting ''Sushi'', by [[Hiroshige]]
File:Ando hiroshige miyakawanowatashi.jpg|A boarding place for a ferry on the [[Miya River (Mie)|Miya River]], which is crowded with people visiting Ise Grand Shrine. By Hiroshige
</gallery>