400 years ago today, Edo (now known as Tokyo) was founded by the wily shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Tokugawa was planning to build his own seat of power away from Kyoto. He succeeded beyond his wildest expectations. The balance of power shifted to this new “eastern capital” and it grew (and burned down) faster than expected.

There’s a good overview of the city’s ancient history at Metropolis this week.

Happy birthday, Tokyo!