![Kenji\](http://photos.travelblog.net/17886/108963/s/730570-kenji-0.jpg "Kenji\")
![Kenji\](http://photos.travelblog.net/17886/108963/s/730558-kenji-0.jpg "Kenji\")
![Kenji\](http://photos.travelblog.net/17886/108963/s/730540-kenji-0.jpg "Kenji\")
In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol...more history