During this period of Japanese history, the newfound wealth and leisure time of the newly-rich chōnin middle class led to the development of the ukiyo urban lifestyle of pleasure-seeking. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this period whose chōnin patronized and popularized woodblock prints, kabuki theater, geishas, and the poetry of Matsuo Bashō from the Yoshiwara red-light district of this period’s eponymous city.
ANSWER: Edo period [or Tokugawa period or Edo jidai or Tokugawa jidai; prompt on Tōkyō; prompt on Genroku]
[10h] A major source on chōnin life is the Chōnin Kōkenroku by Takafusa, the third head of this richest Edo-era family. Today, this family’s company is the second largest keiretsu by market value, after Mitsubishi.
ANSWER: Mitsui family [or Mitsui-ke; accept Mitsui Group or Mitsui Gurūpu; accept Mitsui Takafusa]
[10m] Nihonbashi, Edo’s commercial center, flourished when the Mitsuis founded Japan’s first department store to sell this good there. Japan traded silver for this good via Macao, and the Qīng (“ching”) made the forerunner of the cheongsam (“CHUNG-sahm”) with this good.
ANSWER: silk [accept kinuji or sīchóu or sīchàuh; accept rinzu or damask; prompt on cloth, fabric, textiles, nuno, orimono, bù, zhīwù, bou, or jīkmaht]
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