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What a powerpoint presentation by the Tokugawa Shogunate would look like in Edo period Japan

Oona McGee Jan 20, 2016
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Tokugawa

In an era of executions and forced suicides, this is one presentation you wouldn’t want to doze off in.

We’ve seen a lot of animated GIFs in our travels across the Internet, but one of our favourite masters of the Graphics Interchange Format has to be Atsuki Segawa. A member of the online GIF anime community site, GIFMAGAZINE, Segawa always amazes with his ability to breathe life into classic Japanese images by adding modern elements, like electronic tablets, glow sticks, and even UFOs.

His latest work is set in the Edo era (1603-1868) and is equally as humorous for a number of reasons. The moving image depicts an important turning point in the history of Japan, in 1867, when the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate handed power back to the Emperor, ending more than two centuries of rule which spanned the entire Edo period. The event is known as the “Taisei Hokan”, or “Restoration of Imperial Rule”, and was conducted by the 15th shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa, after the shogunate had been weakened by increasing opposition and peasant uprisings.

▼ Yoshinobu Tokugawa, Japan’s last shogun.

Of course, with such a monumental change to the social order, the ruling clan would have to notify the country’s many daimyo, or feudal lords, and provide them with an outline of the new procedures and a timeline ahead of the big event. That’s where this clever GIF comes in, as the explanation is made with the assistance of an informative slide presentation.

▼ The slides, featuring the Tokugawa clan logo, have been specially made for this image.

To add to the humour, Segawa uploaded the slides on Twitter, sending the additional material as a follow-up to “attendees” who were at the event. He included a cover note, addressed to “Many Daimyo” from “The 15th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate”, with the subject “Restoration of Imperial Rule”.

▼ The slides feature a timeline of events, including historically accurate dates, a graph showing the decline of support for the Shogunate, and advice from a business model that proves this will be a “win-win” situation for all parties.

From:徳川慶喜
To:ML_諸大名
Sub:大政奉還説明資料

各位

お疲れ様です。徳川です。
先日の資料をお送りしますので、ご確認よろしくお願いいたします。

江戸幕府第15代征夷大将軍
徳川慶喜 pic.twitter.com/jW7A7vvugf

— 瀬川三十七 Segawa37 (@SegawaAtsuki) January 13, 2016

The creative GIF has caught the attention of NEC, who inserted their LAVIE products into the historical presentation, adding a spotlight on the stage and tweeting it out to their followers.

【#LAVIEinEDO】
其の参　新製品発表会　
＜本日LAVIE製品発表会を開催＞
もしも江戸時代に #LAVIE があったなら…
新製品の #プレゼンに大名達もひれ伏すばかりだったかも。#動く浮世絵 #edo #大政奉還 pic.twitter.com/jWFp3AV8RB

— NEC LAVIE【公式】 (@necpc_pc) January 13, 2016