Kyoho reforms

The Kyōhō reforms were a system of financial reforms implemented by the Tokugawa Shōgunate in 1717, designed to improve the financial situation of the Edo-based Shōgunate and to resolve the ongoing economic crisis and increasing rural unrest.

This had come about following the so-called "Golden Era" of the Edo Period, the Genroku era. Due to the years of peace and isolation Japan had enjoyed up to that point, the economy was stable, and the arts and architecture were blossoming. However, as a strategy for financing the appearance of continuing Genroku affluence, the Shōgunate debased the quality of coins, which resulted in a sudden surge in inflation.

The new Shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, replaced corrupt officials and appointed a group of about twenty personally-selected advisers to consult with on financial matters. The reforms also focused on city security, schooling, performance of the daimyo and merchant classes, improved administration and conditions in the rural areas. It also began implementing long-term strategies to expand domestic output, measures which would become vital following the Kyōhō famine.