Template talk:Tokugawa chronology

Improve or replace?
I've never been satisfied with this template, but I can't quite see how to improve or replace it with something better -- compare Template:Ashikaga chronology (Japan).

The weakness and strength of this format seem to me to be opposite sides of the same coin -- the "error" which resulted in the data being "scrunched" together forces the visual scan to attempt to grasp the whole at once rather than assembling the whole from its discrete elements -- see Visual analytics.

Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz stressed the significance of grasping the fundamentals of any situation in the "blink of an eye" (coup d'œil). In a military context, the astute tactician can immediately grasp a range of implications and can begin to anticipate plausible and appropriate courses of action. Clauzewitz' conceptual "blink" represents a tentative ontology which organizes a set of concepts within a domain -- see Military taxonomy.

My intent was to present relevant information in a form which can be scanned at a glance, focusing attention on the array - forcing an overview perspective
 * in contrast with focusing on individuals, as in the ordinary succession box format...?
 * in contrast with focusing on hereditary relations, as in the family tree format...?
 * in contrast with focusing on sequence, as in an ordinary list format...?

Suggestions? Comments? Alternatives? --Tenmei (talk) 14:36, 9 February 2009 (UTC)