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 during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

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 ...

.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 ( ja, 徳川家斉, November 18, 1773 – March 22, 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 J ...

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 a ''daimyō'' during late-Edo period Japan, who later served as chief senior councilor (''Rōjū'') in service to the Tokugawa shogunate. He is remembered for having instituted the Tenpō Reforms. Biography Mizuno Tadakuni was the second son ...

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 The were an array of economic policies introduced between 1841 and 1843 by the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. These reforms were efforts to resolve perceived problems in military, economic, agricultural, financial and religious systems. The changes ...

, 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 The Bansha no goku (蛮社の獄, literally "Indictment of the society for western (or barbarian) study") refers to the 1839 suppression of scholars of Western Studies (rangaku) by the Edo Shogunate government of Japan. The incident was provoke ...

'' 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 Wester ...

'' studies. Another part of the Reform included the ''Agechi-rei'' of 1843, which was to have daimyō in the vicinity of Edo 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 of 2.7 ...

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 the ...

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 Tsutsui (written: 筒井 meaning "round well") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese artist *, Japanese warrior monk *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese voll ...

as ''rōjū''. He forced the retirement of

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 ...

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 samur ...

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 '' St ...

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 was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He held office for five years from 1853 to 1858. He was physically weak and was therefore considered by later historians to have been unfit to be ''shōgun''. His reign marks the begin ...

. 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 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 ...

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 **

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 was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Son of the 3rd generation Tayasu family head, Narimasa, he was head of the Tayasu house twice: in 1839–1863 and 1868–1876. He went to Shizuoka Domain in 1868, and served as the guardian of his s ...

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 was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Hachisuka Mochiaki was the 14th and final ''daimyō'' of Tokushima Domain, Awa Province, and the 2nd President of the House of Peers in Meiji period Japan. Early life Hachisuka was born at the Hachisuka domain residence in Edo, as the eldest son of the 13t ...

** Akinomiya Akiko (1825–1913) married Arima Yorishige of

Kurume Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Chikugo Province in modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. In the han system, Kurume was a political and economic abstraction based on periodic cadastral surveys a ...

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 Kamakur ...

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 House of Japan, 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 positio ...

. *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, 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 commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

and his fleet of

Black Ships The Black Ships (in ja, 黒船, translit=kurofune, Edo period term) was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries. In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking G ...

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 ''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 ...

''. * ''

Tenpō was a after '' Bunsei'' and before '' Kōka.'' The period spanned from December 1830 through December 1844. The reigning emperor was . Introduction Change of era * December 10, 1830 () : In the 13th year of ''Bunsei'', the new era name of ' ...

'' (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 Wide ...

'' (1844–1848) * ''

Kaei was a after '' Kōka'' and before ''Ansei''. This period spanned the years from February 1848 through November 1854. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * February 28, 1848 : The era name of ''Kaei'' (meaning "eternal felicity")Satow, Ern ...

'' (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 Marius Berthus Jansen (April 11, 1922 – December 10, 2000) was an American academic, historian, and Emeritus Professor of Japanese History at Princeton University.Princeton University, Office of Communications"Professor Marius Berthus Jansen, sc ...

. (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 A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

.
OCLC 62064695
* 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 ...

. * 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 ...

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