Tokyo took its present name in 1868, when the former castle town of Edo was renamed, meaning Eastern Capital, in the first year of the Meiji era. Edo had been the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate since the early seventeenth century and grew into one of the largest cities in the world. After the shogunate fell in the Meiji Restoration, the young emperor moved from Kyoto to the city, which became the imperial capital. The city was rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1923 and again after the bombing of the Second World War. It has since become the centre of government, finance and culture of Japan, and the core of one of the biggest urban areas in the world.
Before and after
- 1 June 1868Death of James Buchanan
- 14 June 1868Birth of Karl Landsteiner
- 19 June 1868Construction of Kyoto Prefecture
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
- 6 September 1868Founding of Tokyo
- 1 October 1868Construction of St Pancras railway station
- from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912Meiji era
- 27 November 1868Battle of Washita River
- 9 December 1868Birth of Fritz Haber
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.