The or is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the
history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the
Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional
daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order,
isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, popular enjoyment of arts and culture, recycling of materials, and
sustainable forest management. It was a sustainable and self-sufficient society which was based on the principles of complete utilization of finite resources. The shogunate was officially established in
Edo on March 24, 1603, by
Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the
Meiji Restoration on May 3, 1868, after the
fall of Edo.