Feudal Map of Japan in 1615', (1903). The feudal period of Japanese history was a time when powerful families (daimyo) and military warlords (shogun) ruled Japan. Under control of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Edo period (1600-1868) was characterized by relative peace and stability. From 'A History of Japan during the century of early foreign intercourse' (1542-1651) by James Murdoch, M.A. and Isoh Yamagata. [Kobe, Japan, 1903]