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The city was originally started from a castle. Its history goes back to 1457, when Tokyo was founded as a stronghold for shogunate. After the restoring of Maiji the Emperor made it the royal residence and the seat of the Tokugawa government. Back in the XVII century Tokyo was under the so called ritsuryo system together with a part of Yokohama and the city of Kawasaki. The ritsuryo system is a political system of Japan influenced by the philosophy of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism. Consequently, the political system which is based upon its regulations is called "Ritsuryō-sei".

Back then the extent of the city was limited by the borders of the medieval city of Edo. Officially the provinces were united under the title of Tokyo City

The modern-day Tokyo province is made up of 23 municipal formations, which are referred to as ?special wards of Tokyo?. Those ?special wards? (it sounds like ?tokubetsu ku? in Japanese) make up the very core of the most populous part of Japan ? Tokyo. The whole territory was previously known as the city of Tokyo, but the term was abolished in 1943. 

At present the territory occupied by the twenty-three wards is referred to as ?municipality?, or Tokyo metropolis.

The city was referred to as Tokyo, the Eastern Capital, only in 1878. At the same time Tokyo prefecture offices were opened. There were only 15 special wards which were the first to enter the municipality of Tokyo as we know today. They were:

1. Akasaka  ( modern Minato)
2. Asakusa ( modern Taitō)
3. Azabu ( modern Minato)
4. Fukagawa ( modern Kōtō)
5. Hongō ( modern Bunkyō)
6. Honjo ( modern Sumida)
7. Kanda ( modern Chiyoda)
8. Koishikawa ( modern Bunkyō)
9. Kōjimachi ( modern Chiyoda)
10. Kyōbashi ( modern Chūō)
11. Nihonbashi ( modern Chūō)
12. Shiba ( modern Minato)
13. Shitaya ( modern Taitō)
14. Ushigome ( modern Shinjuku)
15. Yotsuya  ( modern Shinjuku)In 1932 the municipality was broadened with other 20 localities from the neighboring districts.
Thus, by 1943 Tokyo City and Tokyo prefecture were united under the name of Tokyo Metropolis, which meant the disappearance of the title Tokyo as the name of the city. Administrative structure of the Metropolis presupposed submission of other special wards to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The city has been ruined almost to the dust twice in the XX century, once during the earthquake in 1923 and the other in the course of American bombing in 1945.

The title Tokyo City was renewed in 1947. at the same time the special wards were reorganized to form the 23 special wards as we know them today. Each of the special wards are equal in their administrative rights nowadays.