When Was Tokyo Founded?

Tokyo was not "discovered"—it was settled and developed over centuries.

Timeline

• 6th–12th century: Small fishing villages (Edo, meaning "estuary") exist on the Musashino Plain.
• 1457: Ōta Dōkan builds Edo Castle, establishing a fortified centre.
• 1590: Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the Kantō region; makes Edo his base.
• 1603: Tokugawa shogunate founded; Edo becomes de facto capital. Population explodes—over 1 million by 1720.
• 1868 (Meiji Restoration): Emperor moves from Kyoto to Edo; city renamed Tōkyō ("Eastern Capital").
• 1889: Tokyo City officially incorporated (15 wards).
• 1943: Tokyo Metropolis (Tokyo-to) formed by merging city and prefecture.

Key Point

The name "Tokyo" dates from 1868, but the urban site has been continuously inhabited for at least 1,500 years.