page_title: Edo
section_title: Urbanism
hierarchical_section_title: Edo / Urbanism
caption_attribution_description: English: "View of Edo" (Edo zu) pair of six-panel folding screens (17th century). Upper right corner Edo Castle.
context_page_description: Edo, also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
  Edo, formerly a jōkamachi centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the de facto capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. Edo grew to become one of the largest cities in the world under the Tokugawa.
  After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 the Meiji government renamed Edo as Tokyo and relocated the Emperor from the historic capital of Kyoto to the city. The era of Tokugawa rule in Japan from 1603 to 1868 is known eponymously as the Edo period.
context_section_description: The shogunate undertook major works that drastically changed the topography of the area. The Hibiya cove facing the castle was soon filled after the arrival of Ieyasu, the Hirakawa river was diverted, and several protective moats and logistical canals were dug, to limit the risks of flooding. Landfill works on the bay began, with several areas reclaimed during the duration of the shogunate (notably the Tsukiji area). East of the city and of the Sumida River, a network of canals was dug.
  Fresh water was a major issue, as direct wells would provide brackish water because of the location of the city over an estuary. The few fresh water ponds of the city were put to use, and a network of canals and underground wooden pipes bringing freshwater from the western side of the city and the Tama River was built. Some of this infrastructure was used until the 20th century.
caption: Edo in the 17th century
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