Naissance of Pre-Modern Japanese Urban Bourgeois Culture. The Concept of Ukiyo, the Aesteticism of the Floating World : 9783656910800 : 05 Mar 2015 : Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Asian studies, grade: High Distinction, James Cook University (James Cook University), course: Feudal Japan from 1600 to 1868, language: English, abstract: Unprecedented concentration and tremendous social influence were the two intrinsically linked phenomena that characterized the Edo period (1603-1868). Firstly came the rise of urban centres, in particular Edo, Kyoto and Osaka and secondly, a new social strata that developed within these cities. The two events of an urban concentration and a prosperous bourgeoisie - the chonin, a combination of artisans and nouveau-riche merchants - were elemental for the expansion of segregated and licensed pleasure quarters offering every form of amusement, but which were then subjected to close governmental supervision. There were two reasons for control: F