Changes

Many of the commoner homes were ''munewari nagaya'' (split-roofed longhouses), long houses which extended to both sides of the block, but which were divided in half, such that one family lived in the half facing one street, and another family in the half facing the next street over. Each family's portion of the home was quite small, frequently only three by four meters, including a small earthen-floored ''doma'' (kitchen), lavatory, and then a single 2x4 meter or so [[tatami]] room in which the family ate, slept, and did all other home activities. There were typically no closets of any kind, and so bedding was typically simply folded up and piled in a corner during the day, while clothes were kept in a pile as well, or in a wicker basket or the like. These homes were built so close to one another that they were sometimes also referred to as ''yakeya'' (burning houses), since fires spread from one house to the next quite quickly and easily.<ref>Gallery labels, Edo-Tokyo Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11269357806/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>

Many of the commoner homes were ''munewari nagaya'' (split-roofed longhouses), long houses which extended to both sides of the block, but which were divided in half, such that one family lived in the half facing one street, and another family in the half facing the next street over. Each family's portion of the home was quite small, frequently only three by four meters, including a small earthen-floored ''doma'' (kitchen), lavatory, and then a single 2x4 meter or so [[tatami]] room in which the family ate, slept, and did all other home activities. There were typically no closets of any kind, and so bedding was typically simply folded up and piled in a corner during the day, while clothes were kept in a pile as well, or in a wicker basket or the like. These homes were built so close to one another that they were sometimes also referred to as ''yakeya'' (burning houses), since fires spread from one house to the next quite quickly and easily.<ref>Gallery labels, Edo-Tokyo Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11269357806/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>

The [[Sumidagawa]] (Sumida River) ran along the eastern edge of the city, dividing [[Musashi province]], in which the city sat, from [[Shimousa province]]. The [[Ryogoku Bridge|Ryôgoku Bridge]]<ref>Ryôgoku 両国 literally meaning "both provinces."</ref> took its name from its location spanning the river and connecting these two provinces. Sections of the river were lined with the official storehouses of the shogunate, storing especially goods (mainly rice) collected as taxes, and giving that neighborhood the name Kuramae ("before the storehouses"), a placename which remains in use today.

The [[Sumidagawa]] (Sumida River) ran along the eastern edge of the city, dividing [[Musashi province]], in which the city sat, from [[Shimousa province]]. The [[Ryogoku Bridge|Ryôgoku Bridge]]<ref>Ryôgoku 両国 literally meaning "both provinces."</ref> took its name from its location spanning the river and connecting these two provinces. Sections of the river were lined with the official storehouses of the shogunate, storing especially goods (mainly rice) collected as taxes, and giving that neighborhood the name Kuramae ("before the storehouses"), a placename which remains in use today. A number of [[rice brokers|rice brokers']] operations were based here; stipends for ''[[gokenin]]'' and ''[[hatamoto]]'' were paid out of these storehouses, as was much of the shogunate's direct operating expenses.<ref name=kuramae>Gallery labels, Edo-Tokyo Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11269390265/sizes/h/]</ref>

The oldest Buddhist temple in the city, [[Senso-ji|Sensô-ji]], founded in [[628]], sat in the northeast corner of the city, a traditional location for powerful temples believed to defend a city from demonic or evil forces emerging from that direction. Beyond the temple district were ''[[eta]]'' districts, including pottery kilns where roof tiles were made; this was considered a "dirty" profession, and dangerous - due to the fires and temperatures involved, and the wood & paper nature of the city's architecture - and so this was kept outside of the city borders proper. Beyond those districts, in turn, lay the [[Yoshiwara]]<ref>Or, more correctly, the Shin-Yoshiwara, or New Yoshiwara, built there after the Old Yoshiwara, or Moto-Yoshiwara, burned down in the early 17th century.</ref> pleasure districts.

The oldest Buddhist temple in the city, [[Senso-ji|Sensô-ji]], founded in [[628]], sat in the northeast corner of the city, a traditional location for powerful temples believed to defend a city from demonic or evil forces emerging from that direction. Beyond the temple district were ''[[eta]]'' districts, including pottery kilns where roof tiles were made; this was considered a "dirty" profession, and dangerous - due to the fires and temperatures involved, and the wood & paper nature of the city's architecture - and so this was kept outside of the city borders proper. Beyond those districts, in turn, lay the [[Yoshiwara]]<ref>Or, more correctly, the Shin-Yoshiwara, or New Yoshiwara, built there after the Old Yoshiwara, or Moto-Yoshiwara, burned down in the early 17th century.</ref> pleasure districts.

[[Nihonbashi]], meanwhile, located between the castle to its west, and the river to its east, was the center of commercial activity in the city, and the official center of the entire country, from which all distances were (and still are) measured. The area was connected to the Sumidagawa, and by extension to the port and to access to incoming and outgoing trade, by a canal. Nihonbashi also marked the starting point of five major [[highways]], known collectively as the ''Gokaidô'', or "Five Highways," chief among them the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô]], linking Edo with Kyoto (and numerous locations in between), and beyond it with Osaka.

[[Nihonbashi]], meanwhile, located between the castle to its west, and the river to its east, was the center of commercial activity in the city, and the official center of the entire country, from which all distances were (and still are) measured. The area was connected to the Sumidagawa, and by extension to the port and to access to incoming and outgoing trade, by a canal. Nihonbashi also marked the starting point of five major [[highways]], known collectively as the ''Gokaidô'', or "Five Highways," chief among them the [[Tokaido|Tôkaidô]], linking Edo with Kyoto (and numerous locations in between), and beyond it with Osaka. The city's main fish market district was located just north of Nihonbashi, and stretched from Hon-Fune-chô and Hon-Odawara-chô. Merchants here included the [[goyo shonin|official suppliers]] to the shogunate, as well as the chief suppliers to the rest of the city; fish and other seafood sold here came not only from the Sumidagawa and Edo Bay, but from the entire Kantô area.<ref name=kuramae/>

==History==

==History==