What is this genre all about? The anime takes place during a period of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868.
We present you the list of Tokugawa Period anime you should watch right now.
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Top 18 Tokugawa Period anime you should watch right now. [2025 List]
- 18. Samurai Champloo
- 17. Mononoke
- 16. Shigurui
- 15. Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou
- 14. Mushibugyou
- 13. Hakuouki
- 12. Saraiya Goyou
- 11. Hakuouki Movie 1: Kyoto Ranbu
- 10. Hakuouki Reimeiroku
- 9. Onihei
- 8. My Little Monster OVA
- 7. Fuuun Ishin Dai☆Shogun
- 6. Mugen no Juunin
- 5. Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai
- 4. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
- 3. Hakuouki Hekketsuroku
- 2. Fuse: Teppou Musume no Torimonochou
- 1. Peace Maker Kurogane
18. Samurai Champloo
Fuu Kasumi is a young and clumsy waitress who spends her days peacefully working in a small teahouse. That is, until she accidentally spills a drink all over one of her customers! With a group of samurai now incessantly harassing her, Fuu desperately calls upon another samurai in the shop, Mugen, who quickly defeats them with his wild fighting technique, utilizing movements reminiscent to that of breakdancing. Unfortunately, Mugen decides to pick a fight with the unwilling ronin Jin, who wields a more precise and traditional style of swordfighting, and the latter proves to be a formidable opponent. The only problem is, they end up destroying the entire shop as well as accidentally killing the local magistrate's son.
For their crime, the two samurai are captured and set to be executed. However, they are rescued by Fuu, who hires the duo as her bodyguards. Though she no longer has a place to return to, the former waitress wishes to find a certain samurai who smells of sunflowers and enlists the help of the now exonerated pair to do so. Despite initially disapproving of this idea, the two eventually agree to assist the girl in her quest; thus, the trio embark upon an adventure to find this mysterious warrior—that is, if Fuu can keep Mugen and Jin from killing each other.
Set in an alternate Edo Period of Japan, Samurai Champloo follows the journey of these three eccentric individuals in an epic quest full of action, comedy, and dynamic sword fighting, all set to the beat of a unique hip-hop infused soundtrack.
Samurai Champloo has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: サムライチャンプルー, SAMURAI CHAMPLOO
17. Mononoke
The "Medicine Seller" is a deadly and mysterious master of the occult who travels across feudal Japan in search of malevolent spirits called "mononoke" to slay. When he locates one of these spirits, he cannot simply kill it; he must first learn its Form, its Truth, and its Reason in order to wield the mighty Exorcism Sword and fight against it. He must begin his strange exorcisms with intense psychological analysis and careful investigative work—an extremely dangerous step, as he must first confront and learn about the mononoke before he even has the means to defeat it.
The Medicine Seller's journey leads him to an old-fashioned inn where Shino, a pregnant woman, has finally found a place to rest. The owner has reluctantly placed her in the last vacant room; however, as she settles in, it quickly becomes clear that the room is infested by a lethal band of mononoke, the Zashiki Warashi. With his hunter's intuition, the Medicine Seller begins his investigation to discover the Form, the Truth, and the Reason before the Zashiki Warashi can kill again.
Mononoke has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: モノノ怪, Mononoke
16. Shigurui
At the beginning of the Edo Era, when people enjoyed a time of peace, Lord Tokugawa Tadanaga holds a fighting tournament. In the past, matches were fought with wooden swords. This time, real swords will be used.
One-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and blind Irako Seigen will fight each other in this match. Both are disciples of Iwamoto Kogan, who is known as Japan's greatest swordsman. Each of them are determined to prove himself the successor of Iwamoto's school. However, there can only be one champion.
So begins a story of intertwining fates, conflict, and strange destinies.
Shigurui: Death Frenzy has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: シグルイ, Crazy for Death
15. Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou
The heirs to the Kouga and Iga ninja clans, Gennosuke and Oboro, hoped the unsteady truce between their tribes would last—but fate denies the lovers, thrusting their people into war after centuries of peace. The terms are set on two scrolls. One bears a list of Kouga warriors. The other holds a list of those who fight for Iga. The names found on these scrolls can only be crossed out in blood.
Basilisk has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: バジリスク 甲賀忍法帖, Basilisk: Koga Nimpo Cho
14. Mushibugyou
In Feudal Japan, the people of Edo are under siege by giant insects that ravage the land. The people desperately beg the government to do something about it. Thus the Insect Magistrate Office is established, gathering strong warriors to defend against the onset of pests.Mushibugyou follows Jinbee Tsukishima, a young man striving to be a master swordsman like his father. To atone for a horrific incident that occurred at his fault, Jinbee seeks to take his father's place as a member of the Insect Magistrate Office. On his journey there, he meets the lovely Haru, a young woman who helps manage her family’s tea house, and is forced to put his sword to good use in saving her from a grisly fate. This act of bravery that earns him a spot in the Insect Magistrate. Will this rookie exterminator be able to rid the land of the horde of insects swarming in?
Mushibugyo has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ムシブギョー 蟲奉行, Mushibugyou
13. Hakuouki
In 1860's Edo, Japan, 16-year-old Chizuru Yukimura lives a simple life as the daughter of a doctor. When her father's work takes him away from home and into the capital of Kyoto, Chizuru is left alone with only the letters from her father as a means to stay in contact with him. After the letters stop coming though, Chizuru becomes gravely concerned. Disguising herself as a man for safety, she travels to Kyoto to find him, only to find herself being attacked by a group of samurai and a strange, almost inhuman man. Chizuru is saved by a mysterious member of a group known as the Shinsengumi, but because of what she witnessed, she's taken back to their base of operations to be interrogated and possibly silenced…forever.Hakuouki features the striking young men of the Shinsengumi and their secret clan of warriors, who decide to spare Chizuru upon finding out who her father is, revealing that they too are looking for him, but for different reasons. Now Chizuru must not only continue the search for her father among her new friends, but discover secrets bigger than she ever imagined, all the while forming bonds with the handsome young men that will forever change the course of their lives.
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~ has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 薄桜鬼, Hakuoki,Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan, Hakuoki, Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan
12. Saraiya Goyou
Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naïve, diffident nature has time and again caused him to be let go by the lords who have employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called "Five Leaves." Although disturbed by the gang's sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi's motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he's drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.
House of Five Leaves has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: さらい屋 五葉, Sarai-ya Goyou
11. Hakuouki Movie 1: Kyoto Ranbu
Chizuru Yukimura has come to Kyoto looking for her father, a doctor who has gone missing. While there, she witnesses a fight between an Oni and the Shinsengumi. Taking her into custody, the Shinsengumi debates on what to do with Chizuru, when they discover that she is the daughter of the doctor for whom they are also looking. The Shinsengumi then take Chizuru along on their search after the missing doctor, from adventure to adventure.
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~ Wild Dance of Kyoto has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 劇場版 薄桜鬼 第一章 京都乱舞, Hakuoki Movie 1, Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan Movie 1, Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto
10. Hakuouki Reimeiroku
The year is 1863 and as Japan's long festering wounds of political discord erupt into violent waves of street clashes and murder, the Tokugawa Shogunate sends a new force of masterless samurai called the Roshigumi to the aid of the Aizu forces in Kyoto. However the new "police" are anything but a cohesive force and assassination has already split them into two opposing factions. The stronger is led by the brutal Serizawa Kamo and the lesser by the more honorable but less assertive Isami Kondo. It is into this pack of wolves that Ryunosuke Ibuki is dragged by the rabid Serizawa. Forced to be a virtual slave by blood debt, he hates the samurai and everything they stand for. But as he sees how the other half of the samurai live, he begins to believe that there may still be a chance, for both himself and Japan, if only Kondo will step up and take down the mad dog Serizawa!
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~ Dawn of the Shinsengumi has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 薄桜鬼 黎明録, Hakuouki 3, Hakuoki 3, Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan Reimeiroku
9. Onihei
The blade arts of the "Devil" tasked with striking down evils threatening a peaceful Edo! Heizou Hasegawa, upholding the role of chief officer protecting against crime and arson! In 1783, the heart of the Tenmei era, Hasegawa held the office of chief director of the department charged with sustaining safety in the region, suppressing the most vile of thieves and criminals, an individual largely feared, renowned as Devil Heizou...
Onihei has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 鬼平, Onihei
8. My Little Monster OVA
The characters of My Little Monster return for an anime original story in a parallel universe.
My Little Monster OVA has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun: Tonari no Gokudou-kun, となりの怪物くん, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun OVA, The Monster Next Door OVA, My Little Monster OVA
7. Fuuun Ishin Dai☆Shogun
In the late Edo period, Japan had experienced an unprecedented crisis by Kurofune (Black Ships), the ships from foreign countries. But a giant robot called Onigami, which has existed since ancient time, dispelled the Kurofune ships and the exclusion of foreigners was accomplished. The story begins in Japan where Meiji restoration in 1868 didn't happen. The tagline says, "I can be the greatest man in the world, because I am a virgin!!"
Dai-Shogun: Great Revolution has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 風雲維新ダイ☆ショーグン, Fuuun Ishin Dai☆Shogun
6. Mugen no Juunin
Manji is an amoral swordsman, who has been cursed with eternal life. He has grown tired of living with all the death he has created. He has no skills other then those of killing, thus he forms a plan to regain his mortality: he shall kill one hundred evil men for each good one he has killed. The old witch who afflicted Manji with immortality agrees to Manji's proposition and Manji is set on his path to kill one thousand evil men. On his journey he meets a young girl, Rin, who has her own vengeance to seek against the sword school whose members slaughtered Rin's family. Rin and Manji journey together, each hoping to find some kind of peace. In their way are many varied enemies. Rin and Manji are almost constantly under attack and must learn to live their lives, avoiding being consumed by revenge.
Blade of the Immortal has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 無限の住人, Mugen no Juunin
5. Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai
The time: 1814. The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo.
One of the highest populated cities in the world, teeming with peasants, samurai, townsmen, merchants, nobles, artists, courtesans, and perhaps even supernatural things.
A much accomplished artist of his time and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Bodhidharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Short-tempered, utterly sarcastic, with no passion for sake or money, he would charge a fortune for any job he is not really interested in.
Third of Tetsuzo's four daughters and born out of his second marriage, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father's talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. Her art is so powerful that sometimes leads to trouble. "We're father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, I guess we can always manage, in a way or another."
Decades later, Europe was going to discover the immense talent of Tetsuzo. He was to become best known by one of his many names: Katsushika Hokusai. He would mesmerize Renoir and van Gogh, Monet and Klimt.
However, very few today are even aware of the woman who assisted him all his life, and greatly contributed to his art while remaining uncredited. This is the untold story of O-Ei, Master Hokusai's daughter: a lively portrayal of a free-spirited woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father, unfolding through the changing seasons.
Miss Hokusai has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 百日紅～Miss HOKUSAI～, Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai
4. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
In the final years of the Bakumatsu, wandering mercenary Yojiro Akizuki travels the length and breadth of Japan. And while he employs his sword in the usual fashion, he also uses it to help him locate supernatural items which he pursues with single-minded determination, often with bloody results. In the course of his quest, he crosses paths with a traveling theater group whose members have their own dark agenda. Is it a chance meeting or the result of some, as yet, undiscovered conspiracy?
Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 幕末機関説 いろはにほへと, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
3. Hakuouki Hekketsuroku
The continuation of Hakuoki.
The Edo Era has ended after 260 years of history and the Meiji Era begins. However, bitter strife still continues between the soldiers of the new government and former Tokugawa retainers. This is the stage in which the surviving members of the Shinsengumi find themselves upon their return to Edo following their defeat at Tobafushimi.
(Sources: ANN, AniDB)
Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~ Record of the Jade Blood has finished airing and it has 10 Episodes. It is also Known as: 薄桜鬼 碧血録, Hakuouki 2, Hakuoki 2, Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan Hekketsuroku
2. Fuse: Teppou Musume no Torimonochou
In Kyokutei Bakin's classic Japanese epic novel Nansou Satomi Hakkenden, eight samurai serve the Satomi clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku (Warring States) era. The Edo-era samurai are the reincarnations of the spirits that Princess Fuse mothered with a dog named Yatsufusa. In Fuse Gansaku: Satomi Hakkenden, the female hunter Hamaji comes to her brother in order to hunt Fuse. Thus, the karmic cycle of retribution that began long ago with the Satomi family begins anew.
Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 伏 鉄砲娘の捕物帳, FUSE: Memoirs of the Hunter Girl
1. Peace Maker Kurogane
Although traumatized by witnessing the murder of his parents by one of the Choushuu, Ichimura Tetsunosuke's thirst for revenge lead him to desire strength. At the age of 15, Tetsunosuke approached the Shinsengumi, wanting to become one of its members. However, Tetsunosuke lacked the skill, mind and will to emotionlessly cut down whoever threatened peace and the Shinsengumi. Even with the support of his brother Tatsunosuke and his newfound friends of the Shinsengumi, little did Tetsunosuke know the blood and pain he would have to face being part of this historical group.
Peace Maker Kurogane has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: PEACE MAKER 鐵, Peacemaker Kurogane, PMK
