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''Chô'' varied from one city to another, as well as within cities, in terms of their size, layout, organization, and administration, but were generally quite similar across the archipelago. The archetypal ''chô'' were those of central [[Kyoto]], a layout and administrative unit which emerged out of the violence and chaos of the [[Onin War|Ônin War]], and of the [[Sengoku period]] more broadly, when fighting in the streets led each neighborhood of Kyoto to begin to have to fend for itself, erecting gates and other defenses. In Kyoto, as well as in other cities, a typical ''chô'' consisted of two rows of ''[[machiya]]'' (townhouses), facing one another along the street. Each ''machiya'' typically served as both storefront and family residence, and extended deeply back from the street, covering a considerable area despite an unassuming frontage. Some ''machiya''-sized lots, however, were sub-divided into smaller residences, perhaps as small as four and a half [[tatami]] mats (approx. 7.3 square meters). These places, which some scholars have called "tenements," served as homes for the many lower-class people who could not afford a full house. These people, known variously as ''shimojimo'' ("lowers" or "under[class]es"), ''karoki mono'' ("people to be taken lightly"), or by a number of other terms, worked a variety of jobs, and represented a large swath of the urban population excluded by the stereotypical image of the ''[[chonin|chônin]]'' (townsperson) as a wealthy merchant or professional artisan, and as someone engaged in "high" cultural pursuits and social circles.

''Chô'' varied from one city to another, as well as within cities, in terms of their size, layout, organization, and administration, but were generally quite similar across the archipelago. The archetypal ''chô'' were those of central [[Kyoto]], a layout and administrative unit which emerged out of the violence and chaos of the [[Onin War|Ônin War]], and of the [[Sengoku period]] more broadly, when fighting in the streets led each neighborhood of Kyoto to begin to have to fend for itself, erecting gates and other defenses. In Kyoto, as well as in other cities, a typical ''chô'' consisted of two rows of ''[[machiya]]'' (townhouses), facing one another along the street. Each ''machiya'' typically served as both storefront and family residence, and extended deeply back from the street, covering a considerable area despite an unassuming frontage. Some ''machiya''-sized lots, however, were sub-divided into smaller residences, perhaps as small as four and a half [[tatami]] mats (approx. 7.3 square meters). These places, which some scholars have called "tenements," served as homes for the many lower-class people who could not afford a full house. These people, known variously as ''shimojimo'' ("lowers" or "under[class]es"), ''karoki mono'' ("people to be taken lightly"), or by a number of other terms, worked a variety of jobs, and represented a large swath of the urban population excluded by the stereotypical image of the ''[[chonin|chônin]]'' (townsperson) as a wealthy merchant or professional artisan, and as someone engaged in "high" cultural pursuits and social circles.

While the residents of a ''chô'' were likely in many cases quite closely knit early in the [[Edo period]], by the end of the period, this had broken down considerably. Many people - particularly the middle- or upper-class merchants and artisans - enjoyed social lives which took them beyond their own ''chô'', and accordingly it gradually became more common for any given ''chô'' to more regularly see visitors, i.e. strangers, from other ''chô''.

While the residents of a ''chô'' were likely in many cases quite closely knit early in the [[Edo period]], by the end of the period, this had broken down considerably. Many people - particularly the middle- or upper-class merchants and artisans - enjoyed social lives which took them beyond their own ''chô'', and accordingly it gradually became more common for any given ''chô'' to more regularly see visitors, i.e. strangers, from other ''chô''.

==References==

==References==

*Tom Gaubatz, "A Barbershop on Every Corner: Urban Space and Identity Performance in the Fiction of Shikitei Sanba," guest lecture, UC Santa Barbara, 7 Jan 2016.  

*Tom Gaubatz, "A Barbershop on Every Corner: Urban Space and Identity Performance in the Fiction of Shikitei Sanba," guest lecture, UC Santa Barbara, 7 Jan 2016.

[[Category:Terminology]]

[[Category:Terminology]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]