In a seeming paradox, Japan enjoyed one of the longest periods of peace and stability under the rule of the Tokugawa family. From warriors to rulers, these shoguns ruled Japan with a controlling hand during the Edo period from 1600 to 1868. Seeking to preserve Japanese ideals and limit outside influence, the shogun government restricted movement within and outside Japan. Despite this isolation, agricultural innovations and the development of market products led to the growth of new towns, the construction of roads and an increase in population. Sequestered from the West, Japan prospered under the reign of the Tokugawa. Yet their call to “worship the emperor” became a harbinger of doom, as the lure of the outside world could not be denied. The Edo period was established after a power struggle that culminated in the Battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa became the recognized victor, ushering in shogunate rule. This period was marked by strong leaders whose unique contributions allowed Japan to progress. Oda Nobunaga laid the foundation for the unification of the country by establishing strict rules with adherence to a caste system with a hierarchy led by samurai, followed by peasants, artisans and merchants. In an effort to limit Western ideals and preserve Japanese traditions, Christianity was banned. Under the new bakufu, Nobunaga sought peace and treated his former rivals with respect as long as they were loyal to his regime; those who disobeyed felt his hand of justice. In a letter addressed to an insurgent, Nobunaga accuses him of "giving secret instructions", of being "imbued with avarice" and of caring "neither for ethics nor for his own reputation". (de Bary, 443-44...... middle of paper ...... Japanese isolation. The group I feel most aligned with is the samurai, particularly those like SakumaShōzan. These men do not did not seek to undo the shogunate but sought to expand their knowledge by exposing it to the West "Eastern ethics and Western science" would have allowed the perfect blend of old and new, but adherence to the past. was their downfall. No culture can stand alone and the lure of the outside world cannot be refused. Works Cited “The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture”. Theodore, Carol Gluck and Arthur E. Tiedemann Sources of Japanese Tradition. Columbia UP, 2006. Huffman, James L. Modern Japan: A History in the Records New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print...