The following images – dating from 12^th century to the 1950s – show the evolution of Tokyo, which means Eastern Capital, from a provincial center to major city, particularly following Emperor Meiji’s formal establishment of the city in 1869. 

12^th Century Edo. Photo via Business Insider.

Edo under the Tokugawa shogunate. Photo via Business Insider.

Edo as seen in the 18^th century. Photo via Business Insider.

American Commodore Matthew C. Perry docks in Edo (1853). Photo via Business Insider.

Downtown Tokyo (1905). Photo via Business Insider.

Tokyo's lotus-covered Shinobazu Pond (1910). Photo via Business Insider.

Mount Fuji seen from Tokyo (early 20^th century). Photo via Business Insider.

Canals in Tokyo (early 20^th century). Photo via Business Insider.

The opening of Yurakucho Station (1910). Photo via Business Insider.

Tokyo – A typical street scene (1917). Photo via Flashbak.

Tokyo’s Akasaka district in ruins after the 8.3-magnitude earthquake on September 1, 1923. Photo via Flashbak.

Tokyo's theater district (1930). Photo via Business Insider.

Allied firebombing of Tokyo (1945). Photo via Business Insider.

Downtown Tokyo (1955). Photo via The Atlantic.

An aerial view of Tokyo's Hamacho district (1955). Photo via The Atlantic.

[Top photo via Business Insider]

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