was the 4th-generation head of the ''

Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke The was founded in 1902 when Emperor Meiji permitted Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last ''shōgun'' of Japan, to found a house with the highest rank of nobility, kōshaku (Prince). The title was officially declared obsolete in 1947, though the family ...

'', the branch of the Tokugawa line started by the last

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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Born in Sena, in

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

, he went to school in Tokyo, later engaging in a career in photographyTokugawa Yoshitomo, ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke ni yōkoso'', pp. 124-127 (incidentally, the hobby of his great-grandfather) and graphic design with

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

. Later a freelance author, he spent his time writing about the history of his family after the Meiji Restoration. He also sold coffee under the brand name ''Tokugawa Shōgun Kōhī''. Through his mother's side of the family, Yoshitomo is also a descendant of

Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji period Japan. He was the 9th ''daimyō'' of the Aizu Domain and the Kyoto Shugoshoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He in ...

Death

Yoshitomo died on September 25, 2017 in a hospital in

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 ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, 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, ...

at the age of 67.

Principal works

*''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke ni Youkoso''. Tokyo: Bungei-shunju, 2003. *''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke no Shokutaku''. Tokyo: Bungei-shunju, 2005.

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

Tokugawa's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. The existence of a verifiable link between the

Nitta clan The was one of several major families descended from the Seiwa Genji, and numbered among the chief enemies of the Hōjō clan regents, and later the Ashikaga shogunate. The common ancestor of the Nitta, Minamoto no Yoshishige (1135 – 1 ...

and the Tokugawa/Matsudaira clan remains somewhat in dispute. #Descent prior to Keitai is unclear to modern historians, but traditionally traced back patrilineally to

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th legendary emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but h ...

, ca. 450–534 #

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...

, 509–571 #

Emperor Bidatsu was the 30th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')敏達天皇 (30) retrieved 2013-1-31. according to the traditional order of succession. The years of reign of Bidatsu start in 572 and end in 585; however, there are no c ...

, 538–585 #Prince Oshisaka, ca. 556–??? #

Emperor Jomei was the 34th emperor of Japan,Kunaichō 斉明天皇 (34)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Jomei's reign spanned the years from 629 through 641. Traditional narrative Before Jomei's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, ...

, 593–641 #

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 5 ...

, 626–671 #Prince Shiki, ????–716 #

Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...

, 709–786 #

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...

, 737–806 #

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan,#Kunaichō, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823 ...

, 786–842 #

Emperor Ninmyō was the 54th emperor of Japan, Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period. Traditional narrative Nin ...

, 810–850 #

Emperor Montoku (August 826 – 7 October 858) was the 55th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文徳天皇 (55)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Montoku's reign lasted from 850 to 858. Traditional narrative Before ...

826-858 #

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the pre ...

, 850-881 #Prince Sadazumi, 873-916 #

Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a samurai and Imperial Prince during Japan's Heian period, one of the progenitors of the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. He was a son of Sadazumi-shinnō and grandson of Emperor Seiwa. Legend has it that Tsunemoto, in his childhood, ...

, 894-961 #

Minamoto no Mitsunaka was a Japanese samurai and court official of the Heian period. He served as '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' and acting governor of Settsu Province''.'' His association with the Fujiwara clan made him one of the wealthiest and most powerful courtiers of his ...

, 912-997 #

Minamoto no Yorinobu was a samurai commander and member of the powerful Minamoto clan. Along with his brother Yorimitsu, Yorinobu served the regents of the Fujiwara clan, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He held the title, p ...

, 968-1048 #

Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was a Japanese samurai lord who was the head of the Minamoto clan and served as '' Chinjufu-shōgun''. Along with his son Minamoto no Yoshiie, he led the Imperial forces against rebellious forces in the north, a campaign called the Zenkunen War, ...

, 988-1075 #

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

, 1039-1106 #

Minamoto no Yoshikuni was son of famous samurai Minamoto no Yoshiie and an ancestor of the Ashikaga and Nitta clans. Yoshikuni was the samurai who first implored the spirit of the Iwashimizu Shrine to start living in this bamboo grove and he built the shrine in hon ...

, 1091-1155 #

Minamoto no Yoshishige was the progenitor of the Nitta branch family of the Minamoto samurai clan, who fought alongside the Minamoto in the Genpei War. He is also known as Nitta Tarō and Nitta Yoshishige. His father was Minamoto no Yoshikuni and his grandfather Mina ...

, 1114-1202 #

Nitta Yoshikane Nitta may refer to: Places * Nitta, Sweden, a locality in Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County of Sweden * Nitta, Gunma; a.k.a. Nitta, Nitta, Gunma, Japan. A town in the district of Nitta of the prefecture of Gunma in Japan * Nitta Di ...

, 1139-1206 # Nitta Yoshifusa, 1162-1195 #

Nitta Masayoshi Nitta may refer to: Places * Nitta, Sweden, a locality in Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County of Sweden * Nitta, Gunma; a.k.a. Nitta, Nitta, Gunma, Japan. A town in the district of Nitta of the prefecture of Gunma in Japan * Nitta Di ...

, 1187-1257 #

Nitta Masauji Nitta may refer to: Places * Nitta, Sweden, a locality in Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County of Sweden * Nitta, Gunma; a.k.a. Nitta, Nitta, Gunma, Japan. A town in the district of Nitta of the prefecture of Gunma in Japan * Nitta Di ...

, 1208-1271 #

Nitta Motouji Nitta may refer to: Places * Nitta, Sweden, a locality in Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County of Sweden * Nitta, Gunma; a.k.a. Nitta, Nitta, Gunma, Japan. A town in the district of Nitta of the prefecture of Gunma in Japan * Nitta Di ...

, 1253-1324 # Nitta Tomouji, 1274-1318 #

Nitta Yoshisada was a samurai lord of the Nanboku-chō period Japan. He was the head of the Nitta clan in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period. He famously marched on Kamakura, besieging ...

, 1301-1338 #

Nitta Yoshimune was the third son of Nitta Yoshisada, and a commander of loyalist (Imperial) forces during the Nanbokuchō Wars. In April 1352, Yoshimune led a force from Echigo Province to contribute to the loyalist efforts to drive the Shōgun, Ashikaga Taka ...

, 1331?-1368 #Tokugawa Chikasue?, ????-???? (speculated) #Tokugawa Arichika, ????-???? #Matsudaira Chikauji, d. 1393? #Matsudaira Yasuchika, ????-14?? #Matsudaira Nobumitsu, c. 1404-1488/89? #Matsudaira Chikatada, 1430s-1501 #Masudaira Nagachika, 1473-1544 #Matsudaira Nobutada, 1490-1531 #

Matsudaira Kiyoyasu was the 7th lord over the Matsudaira clan during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Kiyoyasu was the grandfather of the third "great unifier of Japan", Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography Kiyoyasu gained control of the whole of northern Mikawa ...

, 1511-1536 #

Matsudaira Hirotada was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Biography Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira K ...

, 1526-1549 #

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 ...

, 1st Tokugawa Shōgun (1543-1616) #

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 ...

, 1st Lord of Mito (1603-1661) #

Matsudaira Yorishige was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who ruled the Takamatsu Domain. Yorishige was the first son of Tokugawa Yorifusa, and Tokugawa Mitsukuni was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa, the first Tokugawa ''daimyō'' of Mito Domain; t ...

, 1st Lord of Takamatsu (1622-1695) # Matsudaira Yoriyuki (1661-1687) #

Matsudaira Yoritoyo The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

, 3rd Lord of Takamatsu (1680-1735) #

Tokugawa Munetaka was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, who ruled the Mito Domain. He was the son of Matsudaira Yoritoyo, the lord of the Takamatsu Domain. His childhood name was Matsudaira Kemaro (松平軽麻呂) later changed to Tokugawa Tsuruch ...

, 4th Lord of Mito (1705-1730) #

Tokugawa Munemoto was a Japanese daimyō of the mid-Edo period who ruled the Mito Domain. His childhood name was Tsuruchiyo (鶴千代). Family * Father: Tokugawa Munetaka * Mother: Miyohime (1708-1746) * Wife: Ikuko, daughter of Ichijo Kaneka * Concubines: ** ...

, 5th Lord of Mito (1728-1766) #Tokugawa Harumori, 6th Lord of Mito (1751-1805) #

Tokugawa Harutoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Mito Domain. His childhood name was Tsuruchiyo (鶴千代). Family * Father: Tokugawa Harumori (1751-1805) * Mother: Yayohime, daughter of Ichijo Michika * Wife: Manhime, daughter of ...

, 7th Lord of Mito (1773-1816) #

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

, 9th Lord of Mito (1800-1860) #

, 15th Tokugawa Shōgun (1837-1913) #

Yoshihisa Tokugawa Yoshihisa is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshihisa can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義久, "justice, long time" *義尚, "justice, still" *吉久, "good luck, l ...

(1884-1922) #

Yoshimitsu Tokugawa is a name used by three different characters who appear in the '' Tekken'' and ''Soulcalibur'' series of fighting games by Namco. The first version of Yoshimitsu made his debut in the original '' Tekken'' in 1994. The second version of Yoshimit ...

(1913-1993) #Yoshitomo Tokugawa (1950-2017)

Notes

References

* Tokugawa, Yoshitomo. ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke ni yōkoso: waga ie ni tsutawaru aisubeki "saigo no shōgun" no yokogao''. Tokyo: Bunshun-bunko, 2005. Tokugawa Yoshinobu family 1950 births 2017 deaths People from Shizuoka (city) Japanese photographers Honda people Seijo University alumni {{japan-bio-stub