This graduate seminar provides an in-depth study of the Edo period through both written sources and material culture. After reviewing the most significant scholarly literature and reference works on the period, students will read primary source materials (in translation and in Japanese) and learn to interpret remains from historic-period archaeological sites to acquire the specialist skills needed to undertake research in Edo-period history. Topics to be explored include the built environment, the material culture of rituals, and center-periphery relations.