Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a prominent Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

'' who ruled the

Mito Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture ...

) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

Biography

Clan leader

Nariaki was the 3rd son of Tokugawa Harutoshi, the seventh-generation ''

'' of

Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...

. The family headship first passed to Harutoshi's eldest son Narinobu, before being passed on to Nariaki in 1829. Nariaki was also leader of the '' Jōi'' (expel the barbarian) party and made a Bakufu adviser on national defence. His childhood name was Torasaburo (虎三郎) later changed to Keisaburo (敬三郎).

Bakufu official

Nariaki was put in charge of

Bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

efforts to defend the country against encroaching foreigners. His own view was that the bakufu should strengthen its military and fight the foreigners, and was at odds with

Ii Naosuke was ''daimyō'' of Hikone (1850–1860) and also Tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858, until his death, assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident on March 24, 1860. He is most famous for signing the ...

on the issue. He was pro-emperor and favored imperial restoration. Nariaki also greatly expanded the Mitogaku school established by

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming the sec ...

. He wrote a document entitled "Japan, Reject the Westerners" in 1853. in this document, he stated ten reasons why Japan should stay isolated from the rest of the world. He said that the Japanese people had a choice between war and peace, but clearly to him, the Japanese people should choose war so that Westerners would not intrude into Japan's affairs. Despite his resistance to Westernization, Nariaki was significantly influenced by the

Kokugaku ''Kokugaku'' ( ja, 國學, label= Kyūjitai, ja, 国学, label= Shinjitai; literally "national study") was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked t ...

school. Ōkuni Takamasa, a student of

Hirata Atsutane was a Japanese scholar, conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies, and one of the most significant theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was , and his primary assumed name was . He also ...

attempted to persuade him to combine ritual with technology in order to protect Japan's borders and expand Japan as an empire. This depended on reinvigorating the Japanese "national spirit". Ōkuni and Nariaki therefore laid some foundations for the Meiji restoration as well as the development of

State Shinto was Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor a ...

. Nariaki and Naosuke fought over who would succeed the Shōgun Iesada, with Nariaki championing his son Yoshinobu. Naosuke, who eventually prevailed, favored the Wakayama Domain daimyo

Tokugawa Yoshitomi (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. ...

Legacy

In 1841, Nariaki built

Kairaku-en is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Overview Kairaku-en was built in the year 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, ''daimyō'' of ...

, a garden whose fame lasts to this day. Nariaki retired in 1844 in favor of his son Yoshiatsu, and died of a heart attack in 1860, at age 60. Three of the leading figures of the 1860s were in fact natural brothers, all being sons of Nariaki: Hitoshubashi Yoshinobu, who became the 15th and last shōgun as

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

in 1866;

Tokugawa Yoshiatsu Tokugawa may refer to: * Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 * Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period ** Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most n ...

of Mito; and Ikeda Yoshinori of Inaba ( Tottori).Beasley, William. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868''. p. 11 n3.

Family

* Father: Tokugawa Harutoshi * Mother: Toyama-dono * Wife: Arisugawa Yoshiko (1804–1893) **1st Son: Tokugawa Yoshiatsu (1832–1868) **2nd Son: Jiromaro (1833–1834) **5th Daughter: Mihime (1835–1835) **7th Son:

* Concubine: Harigawa-dono **1st Daughter: Masahime (1822–1839) **2nd Daughter: Iromotohime (1825–1826) **3rd Daughter: Iwaihime (1827–1853) married Yamanobe Yoshimasa *Concubine: Onao no Kata ** 4th Daughter: Hirohime (1834–1835) b ** 4th Son: Shiromaro (1835–1836) ** 7th Daughter: Yohime (1837–1843) ** 7th Son: Matsudaira Naoyoshi (1839–1862) ** 8th Daughter: Ichiyohime (1840–1843) ** Son: Matsudaira Takeakira (1842–1882) of Hamada Domain ** 13th Son: Yosanmaro (1844–1844) *Concubine: Sadako **3rd Son: Saburomaro (1835–1837) ** 6th Daughter: Matsuhime (1836–1903) married Nanbu Toshihisa ** 5th Son: Ikeda Yoshinari (1837-1877) of

Tottori Domain 270px, Ikeda Yoshinori 270px, Front gate of the Tottori Domain residence in Edo was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Tottori Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It controlled all of Inaba P ...

** 9th Son: Ikeda Mochimasa (1839-1899) of

Okayama Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Bizen Province in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.">DF_18_of_80">"Ikeda"_at_''Nobiliare_du_Japon'',_p._14_ DF_18_of_80/nowiki>_retrieved_2013-4-25. # .html"_;"title="DF_18_of_8 ...

** 9th Daughter: Takako (1841-1869) married Date Yoshikuni ** 12th Son: Yonimaro (1844-1844) *Concubine: Yanagihara-dono **6th Son: Rokuromaro (1837-1838) *Concubine: Toshiko **12th Daughter: Seihime (1843-1844) **11th son: Kitsuregawa Tsunauji (1844-1874) of Kitsuregawa Domain *Concubine: Mutsuko **14th Son: Matsudaira Akikuni (1849-1864) **11th Daughter: Tokugawa Sadako (1850-1872) married Prince Arisugawa Taruhito **17th Son: Tsuchiya Shigenao (1854-1904) of Tsuchiura Domain **18th Son:

Tokugawa Akitake was a younger half-brother of the Japanese Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu and final daimyō of Mito Domain. He represented the Tokugawa shogunate at the courts of several European powers during the final days of Bakumatsu period Japan. Biograph ...

**20th Son: Tatsumoro (1856-1858) **22th Son: Matsudaira Yoriyuki (1858-1873) of

Moriyama Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mutsu Province in what is now part of the modern-day city of Kōriyama, Fukushima. It was established by a cadet branch of the Tokugawa clan of Mito. A ...

*Concubine: Tokuko ** 15th Son: Yogomaro (1849-1849) ** 16th Son:

Matsudaira Tadakazu Viscount was the 8th and final '' daimyō'' of Shimabara Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan (modern-day Nagasaki Prefecture). Biography Tadakazu was the 16th son of the Mito Domain Tokugawa Nariaki, and was thus the younger brother of ...

** 12th Daughter: Aihime (1852-1914) married Inoue Masayori ** 21st Son: Ichimaru (1856–1856) *Concubine: Michiko ** 13th Daughter: Hisahime (1853-1853) *Concubine: Etsuko ** 19th Son:

Matsudaira Nobunori Viscount was a Japanese samurai of the Bakumatsu period and the 10th (and final) '' daimyō'' of Aizu Domain. Biography Nobunori was the 19th son of Tokugawa Nariaki of Mito Domain. he was initially named Akinori (昭則), bout received a ...

** 14th Daughter: Yasuhime (1857-1859) ** 15th Daughter: Masahime (1858–1573) ** ** ** **

Works

Published posthumously: * ''Kōdōkan ki'' 弘道館記 (1937). Ed. by Meiji Seitoku Kinen Gakkai 明治聖德記念學會. Tokyo: Meiji Seitoku Kinen Gakkai 明治聖德記念學會. * ''Meikun ippanshō'' 明君一斑抄 (1910–1911). Ed. by Kurokawa Mamichi 黒川真道. Tokyo: Dōbunkan 同文館.

Honours

* Senior First Rank (June 27, 1903; posthumous)

Notes

References

* Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868.'' London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

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External links

Statue of Nariaki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokugawa, Nariaki 1800 births 1860 deaths Lords of Mito Japanese writers of the Edo period Critics of Buddhism Deified Japanese people