24247 (community total) + 30 (my reviews) = 24277
About 66 years in: ~1630
By now we are up to the 3rd Tokugawa Shogun: Tokugawa Iemitsu. In the 1630’s he initiated a couple of major changes to how the country would be run. Firstly, he formalized the practice of Alternate Attendance (Sankin koutai) by the ruling Daimyo. This meant each Daimyo had to live for a year in their own domain, and every alternate year in the capital, Edo. The wives and heir of each Daimyo always had stay at their respective houses in Edo (they could not alternate back to their domain), basically as hostages of the Shogun to keep the Daimyo in check. The cost of maintaining 2 lavish households, as well as the expensive trip to and from Edo every year, meant they couldn’t afford to build an army or fund revolution (Similar to the original plan from Ieyasu but more formal in certain requirements). The upside for everyone else was the money spent on the trips by each Daimyo heavily boosted each local economy, as they passed through towns and spent money on food, accommodation, clothing etc. It meant new and improved roads, bridges, inns, bars and many other necessities were built and well maintained.
In 1635 the Sakoku Edict was made to close of Japan to the outside world. Foreign trade was banned apart from a few very specific places with strict laws on its management. No foreigners were allowed into the country (punishable by death) and no Japanese were allowed to leave. Practice of Christianity was also completely banned, and all material and those practicing (or associated with) Christianity was hunted down. Bribes and rewards were even offered for turning people in or offering information about the practice. The isolationist policy of Japan would be in place for just over 200 years.
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