The Tokugawa shoguns were a series of military leaders who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. This era was marked by political stability, economic growth, and cultural flourishing, as the shoguns established a centralized feudal system that maintained control over the samurai class and the provinces. Under the leadership of the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogunate implemented strict social hierarchies and isolationist policies, limiting foreign influence. The Tokugawa shogunate ended with the Meiji Restoration, which restored imperial rule and initiated modernization efforts in Japan.