Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''
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 Kamak ...
'' of the
Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
with
Oeyo
, , or : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a prominently-placed female figure in the Azuchi–Momoyama period and early Edo period. She was daughter of Oichi and the sister of Yodo-dono and Ohatsu. When she rose to higher political status during ...
, and the grandson of
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
.
Lady Kasuga
was a Japanese noble lady and politician from a prominent Japanese samurai family of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku (斉藤福), she was a daughter of Saitō Toshimitsu (who was a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide). She was ...
was his
wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...
, 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. It is debatable whether Iemitsu can be considered a
kinslayer for making his younger brother
Tadanaga commit suicide by seppuku.
Early life (1604–1617)
Tokugawa Iemitsu was born on 12 August 1604. He was the eldest son of
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
and grandson of the last great unifier of Japan, the first Tokugawa ''shōgun''
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
.
[Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tokugawa, Iemitsu''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see']
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File
. He was the first member of the Tokugawa family born after Tokugawa Ieyasu became ''shōgun''. (There was some rumour said that he was not Hidetada's son but Ieyasu's son with
Kasuga no Tsubone).
Not much is known of Iemitsu's early life; his childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). He had two sisters,
Senhime
(May 26, 1597 – March 11,February 6 in the old calendar 1666), or Lady Sen, was the eldest daughter of the '' shōgun'' Tokugawa Hidetada and later the wife of Toyotomi Hideyori. She was remarried to Honda Tadatoki after the death of her fir ...
and
Masako, and a brother, who would become a rival,
Tadanaga. Tadanaga was his parents' favorite. However, Ieyasu made it clear that Iemitsu would be next in line as ''shōgun'' after Hidetada.
An obsolete spelling of his given name is ''Iyemitsu''.
Family
Parents
* Father:
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
(徳川 秀忠, May 2, 1581 – March 14, 1632
* Mother:
Lady Oeyo (於江与; 1573 – September 15, 1626)
** Sibling from Mother: Toyotomi Sadako (1592–1658), adopted by
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
and
Yodo-dono
or (1569 – June 4, 1615) was a prominently placed figure in the late- Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oichi and sister of Ohatsu and Oeyo. She was a concubine and second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was then the most powerful ...
later married
Kujō Yukiie
, son of regent Kanetaka, was a ''kugyō'' or Japanese court noble of the Edo period (1603–1868). His given name was initially. He held a regent position kampaku from 1608 to 1612 and from 1619 to 1623. He married Toyotomi Sadako (1592–1658), ...
, daughter of Toyotomi Hidekatsu
*Wet nurse:
Lady Kasuga
was a Japanese noble lady and politician from a prominent Japanese samurai family of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. Born Saitō Fuku (斉藤福), she was a daughter of Saitō Toshimitsu (who was a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide). She was ...
(春日局, Kasuga no Tsubone, 1579 – October 26, 1643)
Consorts and issue:
* Wife: Takatsukasa Takako (1622–1683) later Honriin,
Takatsukasa Nobufusa's daughter
* Concubine: Ofuri no Kata (d. 1640) later Jishōin (自証院)
**
Chiyohime (千代姫, 29 April 1637 – 10 January 1699), first daughter
* Concubine: Oraku no Kata (1621–1653) later Hōjuin (宝樹院), Aoki Toshinaga's daughter (青木利長娘)
**
Tokugawa Ietsuna
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.
E ...
(徳川 家綱, 7 September 1641 – 4 June 1680), first son
* Concubine: Omasa no Kata (おまさの方)
**Tokugawa Kamematsu (17 April 1643– 2 September 1647), second son
* Concubine: Onatsu no Kata (順性院; 1622-1683) later Junshōin (順性院), Fujieda Shigeya's daughter (藤枝重家娘)
**
Tokugawa Tsunashige (徳川 綱重, 28 June 1644 - 29 October 1678), third son
* Concubine: Otama no Kata (1627–1705) later Keishoin (桂昌院), Honjo Sonsei's daughter (本庄宗正)
**
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.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...
(徳川 綱吉, February 23, 1646 – February 19, 1709), fourth son
* Concubine: Orisa no Kata (;d. 1674) later Jokoin (定光院)
**Tokugawa Tsurumatsu (1 February 1647 – 22 August 1648), fifth son
* Concubine: Oman no Kata (1624–1711) later Eikoin (永光院)
* Concubine: Okoto no Kata (1614-1691) later Hoshin'in (芳心院)
Adopted Daughters:
** Kametsuruhime (1613–1630), daughter of Tamahime with
Maeda Toshitsune
was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...
and married Mōri Tadahiro, son of
Mōri Tadamasa of
Tsuyama Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Mimasaka Province in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.[Matsudaira Tadanao
was a Sengoku to early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Matsudaira Tadanao"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 617]
Biography
Tadanao was born in Settsu P ...](_blank)
and married
Kujō Michifusa
, son of regent Yukiie, was a ''kugyō'' or Japanese court noble of the Edo period (1603–1868). He held a regent position sesshō in 1647. He married a daughter of second head of Echizen Domain Matsudaira Tadanao. One of the couple's daughter ...
had 3 daughters: the first married
Kujō Kaneharu the second and the third married
Asano Tsunaakira
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain.
Two of his consorts were daughters of the court noble and regent Kujō Michifusa. His childhood name was Iwamatsu ().
Family
* Father: Asano Mitsuakira
* Mother: Ma ...
** Manhime (1620–1700), daughter of Tamahime with
Maeda Toshitsune
was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...
and married
Asano Mitsuakira
Asano Mitsuakira (September 11, 1617 – May 27, 1693) was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period who served as ''daimyō'' of the Hiroshima Domain from 1632 to 1672. His childhood name was Ichimatsu () and later become Iwamatsu ().
Family
* ...
had 3 sons:
Asano Tsunaakira
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain.
Two of his consorts were daughters of the court noble and regent Kujō Michifusa. His childhood name was Iwamatsu ().
Family
* Father: Asano Mitsuakira
* Mother: Ma ...
, Asano Naganao, Asano Nagateru
** Oohime, daughter of
Tokugawa Yorifusa
, also known as Mito Yorifusa, was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period.
Biography
Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru (鶴千代丸), he was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun with his concubine, Ka ...
And married
Maeda Mitsutaka had 1 son:
Maeda Tsunanori
was an Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 4th ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan. He was the 5th hereditary chieftain of the Kanazawa Maeda clan. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" (犬千代).
Biography
Tsunanori wa ...
** Tsuhime (1636–1717) daughter of
Ikeda Mitsumasa
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 18 of 80">"Ikeda" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 14 _and_married_Ichijō_Norisuke">DF_18_of_...
_and_married_Ichijō_Norisuke_had_1_son:_Ichijō_Kaneteru.html" ;"title="Ichijō_Norisuke.html" ;"title="DF 18 of ...