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Daily Life: Urban
 Background
The seventeenth century marked the beginning of 250 years of peace in Japan known as the Tokugawa or Edo period. Social and economic changes in this period led to rapid urbanization and the rise of a wealthy merchant class in the nation's cities. During the seventeenth century the population of Edo, now modern day Tokyo, climbed to over a million, making it one of the largest cities in the world at that time. Among this urban population were daimyo (feudal lords) and their families, samurai warriors, merchants, traders, artisans, and various types of entertainers who were given social status based on their occupation; samurai were given the highest rank followed by peasants, artisans, and merchants.
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