The Japanese arts flourished and expanded during the Edo period under the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns who established their government at Edo (now Tokyo). Edo became the largest city in Japan and the world by the eighteenth century and fostered a new popular urban culture that was distinct from the courtly culture of Kyoto, the traditional artistic center of Japan. Innovation within the established arts and in new art forms such as Kabuki Theater, woodblock prints, porcelain and other decorated ceramics, and new schools of painting and calligraphy contributed to the vitality and energy of Edo culture. This exhibition is the first of two to feature painting, lacquer, and ceramics of the Edo period in the Freer Gallery's extensive permanent collection.