was the 12th ''

shōgun , 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 Kamakur ...

'' of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in ...

of Japan.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991)
''Early Modern Japan',' p. 21.
/ref>

Biography

Ieyoshi was born as the second son of the 11th ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ienari and named Toshijirō (敏次郎). Toshijirō was appointed heir on the death of his elder brother, Takechiyo. He became shogun on September 2, 1837, at the age of 45 upon the retirement of his father, Tokugawa Ienari. However, Ienari continued to wield much power from behind the throne, and it was not until after his death in 1841 that Senior ''Rōjū'' Mizuno Tadakuni was able to purge the government of his clique, and to implement measures to overhaul the shogunate's finances and controls in the aftermath of the Great Tenpō Famine of 1832–36. Known as the Tenpō Reforms, these numerous

sumptuary law Sumptuary laws (from Latin ''sūmptuāriae lēgēs'') are laws that try to regulate consumption. ''Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expendi ...

s attempted to stabilize the economy through a return to the frugality, simplicity and discipline that were characteristic of the early Edo period, by banning most forms of entertainment and displays of wealth. The restrictions proved extremely unpopular with the commoners. Increasing criticism of the government's handling of foreign affairs led to the '' Bansha no goku'' in 1839, suppressing ''

rangaku ''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: /Shinjitai: , literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Wes ...

'' studies. Another part of the Reform included the ''Agechi-rei'' of 1843, which was to have daimyō in the vicinity of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

and

Ōsaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population o ...

surrender their holdings for equal amounts of land elsewhere, thereby consolidating Tokugawa control over these strategically vital areas. However, this was also greatly unpopular amongst daimyō of all ranks and income levels. To complicate the situation further, in May 1844, Edo Castle burned down, and Mizuno Tadakuni was forced into exile and retirement. Mizuno was replaced by Doi Yoshitsura,

Abe Masahiro was the chief senior councilor (''rōjū'') in the Tokugawa shogunate of the Bakumatsu period at the time of the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry on his mission to open Japan to the outside world. Abe was instrumental in the eventual signin ...

and Tsutsui Masanori as ''rōjū''. He forced the retirement of Tokugawa Nariaki in 1844 and placed Nariaki's seventh son,

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 ...

as head of the Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa house in 1847. He also forced the retirement of

Shimazu Narioki was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Edo period, the 27th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain (r. 1809–1851). He was the father of Shimazu Nariakira, Shimazu Hisamitsu Prince , also known as , was a Japanese samu ...

in 1851. US Commodore

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom '' Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' ...

arrived on June 3, 1853, on a mission to force a treaty opening Japan to trade. Ieyoshi died on July 27, 1853, before the treaty could be concluded, of heart failure possibly brought on by

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

, and was succeeded by his third son Tokugawa Iesada. The following year the Tokugawa shogunate was forced to accept the American demands by signing the

Convention of Kanagawa The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty (, ''Kanagawa Jōyaku'') or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity (, ''Nichibei Washin Jōyaku''), was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March ...

. Tokugawa Ieyoshi's grave is at the Tokugawa family mausoleum at Zōjō-ji in Shiba. His buddhist name was Shintokuin. TokugawaIeyoshi grave

Family

Ieyoshi's official wife was Princess Takako (1795–1840), the sixth daughter of Prince Arisugawa Orihito. She relocated to Edo Castle in 1804 when she was only age 10, and they were formally wed in 1810. In 1813, she gave birth to a son, Takechiyo, followed by a daughter in 1815 and in 1816. In addition, Ieyoshi had another 13 sons and 11 daughters by numerous concubines; however, only one son, Tokugawa Iesada, lived past the age of 20. * Father: Tokugawa Ienari * Mother: Oraku no Kata (d.1810) later Korin'in * Wife: Arisugawa Takako (1795–1840) later Jokan-in * Concubine: ** Ohana no Kata (d. 1844) ** Okane no Kata (d. 1843) later Mi-ko-in ** Ofude no Kata (d. 1844) later Shumyo-in ** Omitsu no Kata (1807–1885) later Hojuin ** Okoto no Kata (d. 1855) later Myoon'in ** Otsuyu no Kata (d. 1888) later Shugetsuin ** Okaju no Kata (1803–1826) later Myoka-in ** Ohisa no Kata (d. 1847) later Seiryo-in * Children: ** Takechiyo (1813–1814) born by Takako ** Tatsuhime (1814–1818) by Okaju ** Tomohime (1815-1815) born by Takako ** Saigen-in (1816-1816) born by Takako ** Yochiyo (1819–1820) by Ohisa ** Entsuin (1822-1822) by Okaju ** Tokugawa Iesada born by Omitsu ** Maihime (1824–1829) born by Ohana ** Tokugawa Yoshimasa (1825–1838) of Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa Family born by Ohisa ** Teruhime (1826–1840) married Tokugawa Yoshiyori and later known as Teimei-in born by Ohisa ** Hanhime (1826-1826) by Okaju ** Tokugawa Harunojo (1826–1827) by Omitsu ** Tokugawa Atsugoro (1828–1829) by Omitsu ** Tokugawa Jikimaru (1829–1830) by Ofude ** Tokugawa Ginnojo (1832–1833) by Ofude ** Satohime (1833–1834) by Okane ** Chiehime (1835–1836) by Ofude ** Yoshihime (1836–1837) by Okane ** Tokugawa Kamegoro (1838–1839) by Ofude ** Maijihime (1839–1840) by Okane ** Wakahime (1842–1843) by Okane ** Shoyo-in (1843-1843) by Okane ** Okuhime (1844–1845) by Okoto ** Tokugawa Tadashimaru (1845–1846) by Okoto ** Shikihime (1848-1848) by Okoto ** Sashin-in (1849-1849) by Otsuyu ** Tokugawa Choyoshiro (1852–1853) by Okoto * Adopted daughters: ** Itonomiya Takako (1835–1856) married Tokugawa Yoshiatsu of Mito Domain had 1 daughter, Namahime (b. 1854) married Hachisuka Mochiaki ** Akinomiya Akiko (1825–1913) married Arima Yorishige of Kurume Domain

Events of Ieyoshi's ''bakufu''

* 1837 (''Tenpō 7''): Tokugawa Ieyoshi becomes the 12th ''

'' of the

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 ...

government. * 1844 (''Kōka 1''): Era name changed due to fire which destroyed Edo Castle * 1846 (''Kōka 3''): Kōmei becomes 121st

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

. *1847 (''Kōka 4''): Zenkoji earthquake causes major damage in

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo Province, Echigo, Etchū Province, Etchū, Hida Province, Hida, Kai Province, Kai, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Mikawa Province, Mikawa, Mino Province, Mi ...

and surrounding areas *1848 (''Kaei 1''): Era name changed to acknowledge the beginning of the reign of the Emperor Kōmei * 1853 (''Kaei 6''): Arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his fleet of Black Ships.

Eras of Ieyoshi's ''bakufu''

The years in which Ieyoshi was ''shōgun'' are more specifically identified by more than one era name or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

''. * '' Tenpō'' (1830–1844) * ''

Kōka was a after '' Tenpō'' and before '' Kaei.'' This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * December 2, 1844 (): The new era name of ''Kōka'', meaning "Becoming Wi ...

'' (1844–1848) * '' Kaei'' (1848–1854)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Bolitho, Harold. (1974). ''Treasures Among Men: The Fudai Daimyo in Tokugawa Japan.'' New Haven: Yale University Press.
OCLC 185685588
* Hall, John Whitney and Marius Jansen. (1991)
''Early Modern Japan: The Cambridge History of Japan.''
Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambr ...

.
OCLC 62064695
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.''
London: RoutledgeCurzon. * Totman, Conrad. (1967)
''Politics in the Tokugawa bakufu, 1600–1843.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the reti ...

OCLC 279623

External links

* National Archives of Japan

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokugawa, Ieyoshi 1793 births 1853 deaths 18th-century Japanese people 19th-century shōguns Tokugawa shōguns Tokugawa clan