Tokyo (東京市 Tōkyō-shi) is not the name of any present-day city in Japan. Many people use the name to refer collectively to the 23 special wards that form the core of a larger area, Tokyo Metropolis (or Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture), Japan. That is convenient, but not accurate. The 23 special wards do not share a mayor or a city council; instead, like the other cities, towns and villages of Tokyo Metropolis, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Tokyo. So there is no city of Tokyo.
This article is about the historical Tokyo City, which lasted until 1943. For detailed information on present-day Tokyo, see Tokyo.
History
In 1868, the medieval city Edo, seat of the Tokugawa government, was renamed Tokyo, the Eastern Capital. Then, the offices of Tokyo Prefecture (-fu) were opened. The extent of Tokyo Prefecture was initially limited to the former Edo city (15 wards listed below), but rapidly augumented to be comparable with the present Tokyo Metropolis.
In 1878, 15 wards and 6 districts were placed under Tokyo Prefecture. Wards were placed in the former Edo city.
In 1889, Tokyo City (-shi) was formed with these 15 wards.
In 1932, Tokyo City was augumented with 20 wards from surrounding districts.
In 1943, Tokyo City and Tokyo Prefecture were united into Tokyo Metropolis (-to). The previous wards became directly administered by the Metropolis. Tokyo ceased to be the name of a city at that time.
In 1947, Tokyo Metropolis was reformed with the same status as the other prefectures, while retaining its name and subtle speciality. The previous wards were merged into 22. They each received a status comparable to that of a city.
In 1947, Nerima was separated from Itabashi forming the 23rd special ward.
Municipality
Until 1947, people in Tokyo City had limited local government compared to counterparts in other areas of Japan.
