(June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixth ''

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 dynasty of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of

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 ...

and

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 ...

, the grandson of

Tokugawa Iemitsu Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) 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 a ...

, the great-grandson 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 the great-great-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 fellow ...

. All of Ienobu's children died young.

Early life (1662–1694)

Tokugawa Ienobu was born as the oldest son of

Tokugawa Tsunashige was the third son of Tokugawa Iemitsu. His mother was Iemitsu's concubine Onatsu no Kata. His childhood name was Chomatsu (長松). When Iemitsu died in 1651, he was only 8 years old. After he was given Kofu Domain, he remained there until hi ...

, ''

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

'' of

Kōfu is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu's name means "c ...

, in 1662. His mother was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

. Tsunashige was the middle brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and the second son of Tokugawa Iemitsu with his concubine, thus making Ienobu their nephew. In 1662, Ienobu's uncle, Ietsuna was ''shōgun'', and his father, Tsunashige, was ''daimyō'' of Kōfu, a very valuable piece of land to the Tokugawa. Before becoming ''shōgun'' his name was Tokugawa Tsunatoyo, the 4th ''daimyō'' of

Kōfu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The domain was centered at Kōfu Castle what is now the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi.

from the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

. His childhood name was Toramatsu (虎松). Not much is known of Ienobu's early life except that he was expected to become the next ''daimyō'' of Kofu after the death of his father. However, after Tokugawa Ietsuna had died in 1680, and his other uncle, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi succeeded the ''bakufu'', Tsunayoshi's failure to produce a male heir greatly increased the chances of Ienobu becoming shogun. Nonetheless, for the time being, Ienobu was not being groomed to succeed to the shogunate but rather to succeed his father Tsunashige as ''daimyō'' of Kōfu. In 1678 Tokugawa Tsunashige died and Tokugawa Ienobu succeeded him as ''daimyō'' of Kōfu. He became very powerful there since his uncle was the shogun. In 1694, a ''

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's ...

'',

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白� ...

, was appointed as personal tutor and advisor to Ienobu. Hakuseki used to be a teacher in Edo, but was recommended by the philosopher

Kinoshita Jun'an was a Japanese philosopher and Confucian scholar of the early Edo period, in the Neo-Confucian tradition of Zhu Xi. Biography Born in Kyoto as the second of five brothers, Kinoshita was a child prodigy, and studied under Matsunaga Sekigo. ...

to become personal tutor to Ienobu and was summoned to Ienobu's Edo residence. Until 1709, when Ienobu became ''shōgun'', it is thought that Hakuseki gave him 2000 lectures on the

Chinese classics Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian ...

and

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

. This was helpful to Ienobu since Shogun Tsunayoshi had also been a great patron of the Chinese classics and of

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...

. After Ienobu's ascension, Hakuseki devoted the rest of his life to advising Ienobu, even writing a book for him, known as the '' Hankanpu'' covering the history of various fiefs from 1600 until 1680.

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Ohara no Kata later Choshoin (1637–1664) * Adoptive Father:

* Wife: Konoe Hiroko (1666–1741) later Ten'ei-in * concubines: ** Okiyo no Kata (1685–1752) later Gekkoin ** Ukon no Kata (1682–1766) later Hoshin-in ** Osume no Kata (d. 1772) later Renjo-in ** Oshino no Kata ** Itsuki no Miya (d. 1710) later Honkoin * Children: ** Toyo-hime (1681–1681) by Hiroko ** Tokugawa Mugetsuin (1699–1699) by Hiroko ** Tokugawa Iechiyo (1707–1707) by Ukon ** Tokugawa Daigorō (1708–1710) by Osume **

Tokugawa Ietsugu Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川家継 (August 8, 1709 – June 19, 1716) 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 Tsuna ...

by Okiyo ** Tokugawa Torakichi (1711–1711) by Osume ** child (died in womb) by Itsuki no Miya * Adopted: ** Masahime (1699–1704) daughter of

Konoe Iehiro , son of regent Motohiro, was a ''kugyō'' or Japanese court noble of the Edo period (1603–1868). He held a regent position kampaku from 1707 to 1709 and from 1709 to 1712. Family Parents *Father: Konoe Motohiro (近衛基熈, 28 April 16 ...

''Shōgun'' (1709–1712)

In 1709, ''shōgun'' Tsunayoshi died without a male heir. In genealogical terms, it would have appeared reasonable for the ''daimyō'' of

, Tokugawa Ienobu, to be elevated to the role of ''shōgun'' because he was the only remaining direct lineal descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, this was a secondary factor in the context of intra-''bakufu'' politics which were carried over from the last days of the Tsunayoshi ''bakufu''.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon'', p. 415 The ultimate resolution of any questions about shogunal succession were probably influenced most effectively by the fact that Ienobu was the expressed preference of the late ''shōgun'' Tsunayoshi's wife.Screech, T. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822'', pp. 95–97. Shogun Ienobu immediately began to reform certain elements of Japanese society. It is often said that he transformed the ''bakufu'' from a military to a civilian institution, which was already in the making during the rule of Ietsuna and Tsunayoshi. He started off by abolishing the controversial laws and edicts of Tsunayoshi. The chamberlains, who were given strict power by Tsunayoshi, had all power withdrawn from their hands. Also, in 1710, Shogun Ienobu revised the ''Buke-Sho-Hatto'', where language was improved. Also, censorship was discontinued, and Ienobu told his subordinates that the thoughts and feelings of the populace should reach the high levels of the ''bakufu''. This is thought to be Hakuseki's influence. Cruel punishments and persecutions were discontinued, and the judicial system was also reformed. However, there was one remnant of ''shōgun'' Tsunayoshi's rule which was not done away with. Neo-Confucianism was still popular and patronized, also thanks to Hakuseki's influence, since he had long lectured Ienobu on the Confucian classics. Economic reform also was ensured, and the gold coin was created to stabilize the economy. Shogun Ienobu was one of the first ''shōguns'' in centuries to actually try to significantly improve relations with the emperor and court in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. In 1711, the

Fujiwara Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

regent,

Konoe Motohiro , Tajimaru (多治丸) in his childhood, was a '' kugyō'' or Japanese court noble of the Edo period (1603–1868). He held a regent position kampaku from 1690 to 1703. Early life He was a son of regent Konoe Hisatsugu and a concubine. Motohiro ...

, arrived in Edo from Kyoto to be the mediator for talks between ''shōgun'' Ienobu and Emperor Nakamikado and his nobles (in Kyoto). Ienobu took the lead, but Motohiro also appears to have asserted himself. After the talks were over, it was decided that younger sons of emperors do not have to enter priesthood and can form new branches of the imperial throne and that their daughters can marry (in fact, one of the younger sister of Emperor Nakamikadi married Shogun Ienobu's younger son, ''shōgun'' Ietsugu) and that the ''bakufu'' would offer financial grants to the court. Many court ceremonies were also revived. Thus, during the rule of ''shōgun'' Ienobu, relations with the court were fairly good. ''Shōgun'' Ienobu died at the age of 51 in ''Shōtoku'' 2, on the 14th day of the 10th month (1712). He was succeeded by his infant son,

. Ietsugu became the seventh ''shōgun''. He continued to employ Hakuseki as his adviser. His Buddhist name was Bunshōin (文昭院) and buried in

Zōjō-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in 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 relationship wit ...

Eras of Ienobu's ''bakufu''

The years in which Ienobu 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 ''regnum'' 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 o ...

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 ...

''. * ''

Hōei was a after Genroku and before Shōtoku''.'' This period spanned the years from March 1704 through April 1711. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1704 : In reaction to the Great Genroku earthquake in Genroku 16, the era name w ...

'' (1704–1711) * '' Shōtoku'' (1711–1716)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.'' London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1822). ''Illustrations of Japan.'' London: Ackerman. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). iyun-sai_Rin-siyo/Hayashi_Gahō,_1652.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon.'' Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
...Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)
*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 retirem ...

External links

* National Diet Library
photograph of Gate to Tomb of the Sixth Shogun of Tokugawa Family; Shiba, Tokyo (1901)
* National Archives of Japan

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokugawa, Ienobu 17th-century LGBT people 18th-century LGBT people 1662 births 1712 deaths 17th-century Japanese people 18th-century shōguns LGBT people from Japan Tokugawa shōguns Tokugawa clan