was the 12th ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

.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 Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> ...

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 ) are laws that regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furnitu ...

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: , ), and by extension , is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the countr ...

'' studies. Another part of the Reform included the ''Agechi-rei'' of 1843, which was to have daimyō in the vicinity of Edo and Ōsaka 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 is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

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 signi ...

and Tsutsui Masanori as ''rōjū''. He forced the retirement of

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography Clan leader ...

in 1844 and placed Nariaki's seventh son,

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Kazoku, 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 his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...

as head of the Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa house in 1847. He also forced the retirement of Shimazu Narioki in 1851. In August 1844,

William II of the Netherlands William II (; English: William Frederick George Louis; 6 December 1792 – 17 March 1849), known as Koning Willem de Tweede or Koning Willem II in the Netherlands, was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg. Wi ...

urged Japan to also open the mainland to trade, but was rejected. US Commodore

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was an American and Canadian actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994– ...

arrived on 3 June 1853, on a mission to force a treaty opening Japan to trade. Ieyoshi died on 27 July 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 heatstro ...

, 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. Tokugawa Ieyoshi's grave is at the Tokugawa family mausoleum at

Zōjō-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the main temple of the Jōdo-shū ("Pure Land") Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region. Its mountain name is San'en-zan (三縁山). Zōjō-ji is notable for its relations ...

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:

* 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 rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

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 hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

. *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 Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

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 Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

and his fleet of

Black Ships The Black Ships (in , Edo period term) were the names given to both Portuguese merchant ships and American warships arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries respectively. In 1543, Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a ...

Eras of Ieyoshi's ''bakufu''

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

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

or ''

nengō The or , 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 "", meaning "origin, basis"), followed b ...

''. * '' Tenpō'' (1830–1844) * '' Kōka'' (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 was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

.
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 an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

OCLC 279623

External links

* * National Archives of Japan

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