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First colored woodblock prints appear in last quarter of 17th century.
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Tokugawa Ieyasu appoints himself shogun, formalizing Edo as the new capital from Kyoto. -
Shoguns were hereditary military commanders that the emperor really appointed. The shoguns themselves, who collaborated closely with other social classes in Japanese society, had the true authority, nevertheless. Shoguns collaborated with state workers who oversaw initiatives like trade and taxes.
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Tokugawa Ieyasu dies, transferring power to his sons.
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Women banned from the kabuki stage. Kabuki actors were often the subject of Japanese woodblock prints.
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Kano Sanraku dies (1559-1635). Founded Kano School, the dominant traditional approach to Japanese painting of the era.
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Policy of Japanese national seclusion established. Only Nagasaki Island is open, and only to traders from the Netherlands.
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The Dutch East India Company takes control of parts of Indonesia from the Portuguese and Moslem rulers.
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The Ming Dynasty collapses. It had held power in China since 1368.
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Vienna under siege by Ottoman Turks.
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Treaty of Nerchinsk between Russia and China halts Russian expansion into Siberia.