Tokugawa Ienobu

Tokugawa Ienobu
Tokugawa Ienobu
Shōgun
In office 1709–1712
Monarch	Nakamikado
Preceded by	Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Succeeded by	Tokugawa Ietsugu
Personal details
Born	(1662-06-15)15 June 1662 Kōfu,Yamanashi,Tokugawa shogunate
Died	12 November 1712(1712-11-12)(aged 50) Tokugawa shogunate (nowJapan)
Children	Tokugawa Iechiyo Tokugawa Daigorō(1709–1710) Tokugawa Ietsugu Tokugawa Torakichi(1711–1711) Adopted: Masahime
Parents	Tokugawa Tsunashige Chōshōin
Signature

In thisJapanese name,thesurnameisTokugawa.

Tokugawa Ienobu(Đức xuyên gia tuyên)(June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixthshōgunof theTokugawa dynastyofJapan.He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew ofTokugawa IetsunaandTokugawa Tsunayoshi,the grandson ofTokugawa Iemitsu,the great-grandson ofTokugawa Hidetada,and the great-great-grandson ofTokugawa Ieyasu.All of Ienobu's children died young.

Early life (1662–1694)

Tokugawa Ienobu was born as the oldest son ofTokugawa Tsunashige,daimyōofKōfu,in 1662. His mother was aconcubine.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 wasshōgun,and his father, Tsunashige, wasdaimyōof Kōfu, a very valuable piece of land to the Tokugawa. Before becomingshōgunhis name was Tokugawa Tsunatoyo, the 4thdaimyōofKōfu Domainfrom theTokugawa clan.His childhood name was Toramatsu ( hổ tùng ).

Not much is known of Ienobu's early life except that he was expected to become the nextdaimyōof Kofu after the death of his father. However, after Tokugawa Ietsuna had died in 1680, and his other uncle, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi succeeded thebakufu,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 asdaimyōof Kōfu.

In 1678 Tokugawa Tsunashige died and Tokugawa Ienobu succeeded him asdaimyōof Kōfu. He became very powerful there since his uncle was the shogun.

In 1694, arōnin,Arai Hakuseki,was appointed as personal tutor and advisor to Ienobu. Hakuseki used to be a teacher inEdo,but was recommended by the philosopherKinoshita Jun'anto become personal tutor to Ienobu and was summoned to Ienobu's Edo residence. Until 1709, when Ienobu becameshōgun,it is thought that Hakuseki gave him 2000 lectures on theChinese classicsandConfucianism.This was helpful to Ienobu since Shogun Tsunayoshi had also been a great patron of the Chinese classics and ofNeo-Confucianism.After Ienobu's ascension, Hakuseki devoted the rest of his life to advising Ienobu, even writing a book for him, known as theHankanpucovering the history of various fiefs from 1600 until 1680.

Family

• Father:Tokugawa Tsunashige
• Mother: Ohara no Kata later Choshoin (1637–1664)
• Adoptive Father:Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
• 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 Ietsuguby Okiyo
  • Tokugawa Torakichi (1711–1711) by Osume
  • child (died in womb) by Itsuki no Miya
• Adopted:
  • Masahime (1699–1704) daughter ofKonoe Iehiro

Shōgun(1709–1712)

In 1709,shōgunTsunayoshi died without a male heir. In genealogical terms, it would have appeared reasonable for thedaimyōofKōfu,Tokugawa Ienobu, to be elevated to the role ofshōgunbecause he was the only remaining direct lineal descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, this was a secondary factor in the context of intra-bakufupolitics which were carried over from the last days of the Tsunayoshibakufu.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 lateshōgunTsunayoshi's wife.

Shogun Ienobu immediately began to reform certain elements of Japanese society. It is often said that he transformed thebakufufrom 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 theBuke-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 thebakufu.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 ofshōgunTsunayoshi'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 firstshōgunsin centuries to actually try to significantly improve relations with the emperor and court inKyoto.In 1711, theFujiwararegent,Konoe Motohiro,arrived in Edo from Kyoto to be the mediator for talks betweenshōgunIenobu and EmperorNakamikadoand 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 sisters of Emperor Nakamikado married Shogun Ienobu's younger son,shōgunIetsugu) and that thebakufuwould offer financial grants to the court. Many court ceremonies were also revived. Thus, during the rule ofshōgunIenobu, relations with the court were fairly good.

ShōgunIenobu died at the age of 51 inShōtoku2, on the 14th day of the 10th month (1712).He was succeeded by his infant son,Tokugawa Ietsugu.Ietsugu became the seventhshōgun.He continued to employ Hakuseki as his adviser.

His Buddhist name was Bunshōin ( văn chiêu viện ) and buried inZōjō-ji.

Eras of Ienobu'sbakufu

The years in which Ienobu wasshōgunare more specifically identified by more than oneera nameornengō.

• Hōei(1704–1711)
• Shōtoku(1711–1716)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Tokugawa Ienobu
8.Tokugawa Hidetada,2ndTokugawa Shōgun(1579-1632) 4.Tokugawa Iemitsu,3rdTokugawa Shōgun(1604-1651) 9.Oeyo(1573-1626) 2.Tokugawa Tsunashige,daimyōof Kōfu (1644-1678) 10. Okabe Shigeke 5.Junshōin(1622-1683) 1.Tokugawa Ienobu, 6thTokugawa Shōgun 3.Chōshōin(1637-1664)

References

• Screech,Timon. (2006).Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.London:RoutledgeCurzon.ISBN0-7007-1720-X
• Titsingh,Isaac. (1822).Illustrations of Japan.London: Ackerman.
• Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō,1652],Nipon o daï itsi ran;ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon.Paris: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.

External links

• National Diet Library:photograph of Gate to Tomb of the Sixth Shogun of Tokugawa Family; Shiba, Tokyo (1901)
• National Archives of Japan:Ryukyu Chuzano ryoshisha tojogyoretsu,scroll illustrating procession of Ryukyu emissary to Edo,Hōei7 (1710)