ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the economic difficulties of Tokugawa society. The fishing industry remained an important part of the Tokugawa economy, as did mining, forestry, and the various handicraft industries. Despite the increasing production of cash crops and growing commercial activities, Tokugawa Japan was an agricultural country, not a commercial one. One of the astounding facts about era is that the population seemed to have remained at the same level throughout the Tokugawa era. It is interesting to speculate as to why peasant unrest grew in the latter half of the Tokugawa period when, compared to the first half, more food and other commodities were available. The peasant uprisings were not motivated by any desire to change the social or political order. The chapter discusses some of the economic problems plaguing the Bakufu, and also examines those confronting the daimyo and the samurai. The peasants remained politically unsophisticated, partly because of the Bakufu's success in keeping them isolated and politically ignorant.
