ABSTRACT
Tokugawa society contained within itself seeds of its own destruction. Commercialization and urbanization brought about unprecedented riches among certain groups, but in their wake also left trails of corruption. By the nineteenth century, the Tokugawa government found itself suffering from many setbacks. The gold that it once held in abundance dwindled quickly, and with the exception of the tenryo, or the territory directly held by the bakufu, it lacked a means of direct taxation. Social unrest was compounded by the frequent peasant uprisings and urban riots. While the merchants prospered at the expense of the daimyo and samurai, the latter became restive and sought changes in the status quo (Documents 1-7).
