Tokugawa Ietsuna

Last updated
Tokugawa Ietsuna
徳川 家綱
Tokugawa Ietsuna.jpg
Tokugawa Ietsuna
Shōgun
In office
10 September 1651 – 4 June 1680
Preceded by Tokugawa Iemitsu
Succeeded by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Personal details
Born(1641-09-07)7 September 1641
Edo, Tokugawa shogunate
Died4 June 1680(1680-06-04) (aged 38)
Edo Castle, Edo, Tokugawa shogunate
ChildrenNaohime
Parents
Signature Tokugawa Ietsuna kao.jpg

Tokugawa Ietsuna (徳川 家綱, 7 September 1641 – 4 June 1680) was the fourth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He is considered the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, which makes him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Contents

Early life (1641–1651)

Tokugawa Ietsuna was born in 1641, allegedly the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu with his concubine, Oraku no Kata later Houjuin. Later Ietsuna was raised with his sister, Chiyohime (born by Ofuri) by Iemitsu's concubine, Oman no kata (later Eikoin) and Iemitsu's wife, Takatsukasa Takako later Honriin. After Eikoin retired, Senhime (also called Tenjuin) raised him with Honriin. [1] At that time his father was shogun in his own right and had enacted several anti-Christian measures after the bloody Shimabara Rebellion of 1637. Though the suppression of this rebellion quelled all serious threats to Tokugawa rule, it was nonetheless an unsure era. Ietsuna was a frail child, and this carried over into his adult years. Nothing else is known of his youth. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代).

Family

Parents

Adopted daughter:

Shogunal regency (1651–1663)

Tokugawa Iemitsu died in early 1651, at the age of forty-seven. After his death, the Tokugawa dynasty was at major risk. Ietsuna, the heir, was only ten years old. Nonetheless, despite his age, Tokugawa Ietsuna became shogun in Kei'an 4 (1651). [2] Until he came of age, five regents were to rule in his place, but Shogun Ietsuna nevertheless assumed a role as formal head of the bakufu bureaucracy.

In this period, regents exercised power in the shogun's name. [1] These were Sakai Tadakatsu, Sakai Tadakiyo, Inaba Masanori, Matsudaira Nobutsuna (a distant member of the Tokugawa), and one other. In addition to this regency, Iemitsu handpicked his half-brother, Hoshina Masayuki.

The first thing that Shogun Ietsuna and the regency had to address was the rōnin (masterless samurai). During the reign of Shogun Iemitsu, two samurai, Yui Shōsetsu and Marubashi Chūya, had been planning an uprising in which the city of Edo would be burned to the ground and, amidst the confusion, Edo Castle would be raided and the shōgun, other members of the Tokugawa and high officials would be executed. Similar occurrences would happen in Kyoto and Osaka. Shosetsu was himself of humble birth and he saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his idol.

Nonetheless, the plan was discovered after the death of Iemitsu, and Ietsuna's regents were brutal in suppressing the rebellion, which came to be known as the Keian Uprising or the "Tosa Conspiracy". [3] Chuya was brutally executed along with his family and Shosetsu's family. Shosetsu chose to commit seppuku rather than being captured.

In 1652, about 800 rōnin led a small disturbance on Sado Island, and this was also brutally suppressed. But for the most part, the remainder of Ietsuna's rule was not disturbed anymore by the rōnin as the government became more civilian-oriented.

In Meireki 3 (1657), on the 18th–19th days of the 1st month, when Ietsuna was almost 20 years old, a great fire broke out in Edo and burned the city to the ground. Ietsuna's concubine Oyo burned to death in the fire. [4] It took two years to rebuild the city and bakufu officials supervised the rebuilding of the city. In 1659, Ietsuna presided over the opening ceremonies. In the 11th month he married Asa no Miya Akiko, daughter of Fushimi no Miya Sadakiyo. It is said that his relationship was quite good with Asa no Miya, though they didn't have a child; they adopted Naohime, daughter of Tokugawa Mitsutomo.

Bakufu power struggle (1663–1671)

In 1663, the regency for shōgun Ietsuna ended, but the regents still held power for him, the first time that the power behind the bakufu was not a former shōgun. Ietsuna's chief advisors were now Hoshina Masayuki, Ietsuna's uncle (whom he had deep regard for) Itakura Shigenori, Tsuchiya Kazunao, Kuze Hiroyuki, and Inaba Masanori. Even though Ietsuna was now ruling in his own right, these former regents now became his official advisors, and in some cases, acted for him. In some cases, however, Ietsuna acted upon his own accord, as when he came up with the idea of abolishing junshi, where a samurai follows his lord into death.

Another example of this is in 1671 when the Date family of Sendai was involved in a succession dispute. The bakufu intervened and prevented another rendition of the Ōnin War. By 1671, however, many of the former regents were either dead or retired, and Ietsuna began to rule in his own right.

Shōgun (1671–1680)

Following the succession dispute of the Date, very few disturbances occurred for the remainder of Ietsuna's reign, except some defiant daimyōs.

In 1679, shōgun Ietsuna fell ill. His succession began to be discussed, in which Sakai Tadakiyo took an active role. He suggested that a son of Emperor Go-Sai become the next shogun, following the precedent of the later Kamakura shoguns, who in reality were members of the blood royal. Tadakiyo probably saw himself as becoming powerful like the Hōjō regents, and thus many members of the Tokugawa blood preferred Shogun Ietsuna's younger brother Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, also a son of Shogun Iemitsu, to become shōgun.

Tadakiyo retired, embarrassed, and shortly after, Tokugawa Ietsuna died in 1680. His posthumous name was Genyū-in (厳有院) and was buried in Kan'ei-ji. [6] He was succeeded by his younger brother, Tsunayoshi.

Though Ietsuna proved to be an able leader, affairs were largely controlled by the regents his father had appointed, even after Ietsuna was declared old enough to rule in his own right.

Eras of Ietsuna's bakufu

The years in which Ietsuna was shōgun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō . [7]

Ancestry

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tokugawa, Ietsuna" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 977 , p. 977, at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is a pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File Archived 2012-05-24 at archive.today .
  2. Titsingh, I. Annales des empereurs du Japon, p. 412.
  3. Screech, T. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822. pp. 85–89.
  4. Titsingh, p. 413.
  5. Titsingh, p. 414.
  6. Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed , p. 494, at Google Books
  7. Titsingh, pp. 410–412.
  8. "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). 6 May 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2018.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emperor Reigen</span> Emperor of Japan from 1663 to 1687

Satohito, posthumously honored as Emperor Reigen was the 112th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Reigen's reign spanned the years from 1663 through 1687.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Iemitsu</span> Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate (1604–1651)

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the forefront of shogunate negotiations with the Imperial court. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651; during this period he crucified Christians, expelled all Europeans from Japan and closed the borders of the country, a foreign politics policy that continued for over 200 years after its institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Yoshimune</span> Japanese Tokugawa shogun

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yoshimune is known for repealing the ban on Western literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Tsunayoshi</span> Japanese shogun

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Ienobu</span> Sixth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty

Tokugawa Ienobu was the sixth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. All of Ienobu's children died young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Ietsugu</span> Seventh shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty

Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川 家継 was the seventh shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1713 until his death in 1716. He was the son of Tokugawa Ienobu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Tsunashige, daimyō of Kofu, great-grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, great-great grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and finally the great-great-great grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Ieshige</span> Japanese shōgun (1712–1761)

Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川 家重 was the ninth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenna</span> Period of Japanese history (1681–1684)

Tenna (天和) was a Japanese era name after Enpō and before Jōkyō. This period spanned the years from September 1681 through February 1684. The reigning emperor was Reigen-tennō (霊元天皇).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enpō</span> Period of Japanese history (1673–1681)

Enpō (延宝) is the Japanese era name after Kanbun and before Tenna. This period spanned the years from September 1673 to September 1681. The reigning emperor was Reigen-tennō (霊元天皇).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manji (era)</span> Period of Japanese history (1658–1661)

Manji (万治) was a Japanese era name after Meireki and before Kanbun. This period spanned the years from July 1658 through April 1661. The reigning emperor was Go-Sai-tennō (後西天皇).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keian</span> Period of Japanese history (1648–1652)

Keian (慶安) was a Japanese era name after Shōhō and before Jōō. This period spanned the years from February 1648 through September 1652. The reigning emperor was Go-Kōmyō-tennō (後光明天皇).

The Keian Uprising was a failed coup d'état attempt carried out against the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan in 1651, by a number of rōnin. Though it failed, the event is historically significant as an indication of a wider problem of disgruntled rōnin throughout the country at the time. Masterminded by Yui Shōsetsu and Marubashi Chūya, the uprising is named after the Keian era in which it took place.

<i>Ōoku</i> Former womens quarters of Edo Castle

The Ōoku was historically the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the section where the women connected to the reigning shōgun resided. Similar areas in the castles of powerful daimyō, such as the Satsuma Domain, were also referred to by this term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abe Tadaaki</span> Japanese daimyō

Abe Tadaaki was a high-ranking government official in Japan under Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ietsuna, the third and fourth Tokugawa Shōgun. As the daimyō of the Oshi Domain in modern-day Saitama Prefecture, with an income of 80,000 koku, Abe was appointed wakadoshiyori in 1633, and rōjū shortly afterwards.

Hotta Masatoshi was a daimyō in Shimōsa Province, and top government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He served as rōjū to shōgun Tokugawa Ietsuna from 1679–80, and as Tairō under Tokugawa Tsunayoshi from the 12th day of the 11th lunar month of 1681 until his death on 7 October 1684.

Sakai Tadakiyo, also known as Uta-no-kami, was a daimyō in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.

Tokugawa Mitsusada was a daimyō in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868). Mitsusada was born as the son and heir of Tokugawa Yorinobu and a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu with the childhood name Nagatomimaru (長福丸). Among his sons was the eighth Tokugawa shōgun Yoshimune. Norihime, a daughter of his, married Ichijō Kaneteru. He married the daughter of Prince Fushimi-no-Miya Sadakiyo, Yaso-no-Miya Teruko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokugawa Mitsutomo</span>

Tokugawa Mitsutomo was daimyō of Owari Domain during early Edo period Japan.

Tokugawa Tsunanari was daimyō of Owari Domain during early-Edo period Japan.

Chiyohime was Tokugawa Iemitsu's daughter with his concubine, Ofuri no Kata, daughter of Oka Shigemasa, also known as Jishō'in. After Ofuri died, Chiyohime was adopted by Iemitsu's concubine, Oman no Kata (1624-1711), later Keishoin. She was married to Tokugawa Mitsutomo, daimyō of Owari Domain, in 1640, when she was 2 years and 6 months old and Mitsutomo was fourteen. In 1652, she constructed a mausoleum for her mother named Jishō'in Mausoleum, which is now located in Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. She died in 1699 and was given the name Reisen'in (霊仙院).

References

Military offices
Preceded by Shōgun :
Tokugawa Ietsuna

1651–1680
Succeeded by