Edo renamed Tokyo by Emperor Meiji
- When
- 1868
- Where
- Edo/Tokyo
- Episodes
- 1
Emperor Meiji renamed Edo to Tokyo on September 3, 1868, establishing it as the new imperial capital. This act followed the restoration of imperial rule and the transfer of the residence from Kyoto, aligning with East Asian naming traditions.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The renaming occurred after the Meiji Restoration, which restored practical power to the Emperor in 1868. Supporters of the Emperor consolidated authority, leading to the overthrow of the last Tokugawa shogun. The city formerly known as Edo, the de facto capital, was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) after the Meiji Restoration.
Naming Context. The name Tokyo derives from 'east' and 'capital,' following the East Asian tradition of including the word for capital in the city's name. This change aligned with the move of the imperial capital from Kyoto to Edo, establishing Tokyo as the new center of imperial rule.
Residence Transfer. Following the renaming, the capital was officially moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. The Emperor took up residence in the city in 1869, marking the physical shift of the imperial court from its historical location in Kyoto to the new capital.
People involved
- Emperor Meiji · Monarch who ordered the renaming and capital transfer
- Tokugawa Yoshinobu · Last Tokugawa shogun whose power was overthrown
Sources
- Tokyo Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26
- Meiji Restoration Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
- Edo Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.