Tokugawa Yoshinobu | |
|---|---|
德川 慶喜 | |
 Tokugawa in 1867 | |
| Shōgun | |
| In office 29 August 1866 – 19 November 1867 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Preceded by | Tokugawa Iemochi |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished Itō Hirobumi (asPrime Minister of Japan) |
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |
| In office 3 June 1902 – 8 December 1910 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1837-10-28)28 October 1837 Edo, Japan |
| Died | 22 November 1913(1913-11-22) (aged 76) Koishikawa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Resting place | Yanaka Cemetery |
| Spouse | Ichijō Mikako |
| Parents |
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| Signature |  |
PrinceTokugawa Yoshinobu[a] (德川 慶喜; 28 October 1837 – 22 November 1913) was the 15th and lastshōgun of theTokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming at keeping some political influence. After these efforts failed following the defeat at theBattle of Toba–Fushimi in early 1868, he went into retirement, and largely avoided the public eye for the rest of his life.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu was born inEdo as the seventh son ofTokugawa Nariaki,daimyō of Mito. Mito was one of thegosanke, the three branch families of the Tokugawa clan which were eligible to be chosen asshōgun. His birth name was Matsudaira Shichirōmaro (松平七郎麻呂)[1] His mother,Princess Arisugawa Yoshiko, was a member of theArisugawa-no-miya, a cadet branch of the imperial family; through her, he was a third cousin (once removed) of the then-Emperor Ninkō. Shichirōmaro was brought up under strict, spartan supervision and tutelage.[2] His father Nariaki followed the example of the second Mito daimyo,Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1661-1690), who had sent all his sons after the firstborn to be raised in Mito. Shichirōmaro was seven months old when he arrived in Mito in 1838. He was taught in the literary andmartial arts, as well as receiving a solid education in the principles of politics and government atKōdōkan.[3]
At the instigation of his father, Shichirōmaro was adopted by theHitotsubashi-Tokugawa family in order to have a better chance of succeeding to the shogunate[4] and changed his first name toAkimune (昭致). He became family head in 1847, coming of age that year, receiving court rank and title, and taking the name Yoshinobu.[5] Upon the death of the 13thshōgun,Iesada, in 1858, Yoshinobu was nominated as a potential successor.[6] His supporters touted his skill and efficiency in managing family affairs. However, the opposing faction, led byIi Naosuke, won out. Their candidate, the youngTokugawa Yoshitomi, was chosen, and became the 14thshōgun Iemochi.[7] Soon after, during theAnsei Purge, Yoshinobu and others who supported him were placed underhouse arrest.[8] Yoshinobu himself was made to retire from Hitotsubashi headship.
The period of Ii's domination of the Tokugawa government was marked by mismanagement and political infighting. Upon Ii'sassassination in 1860, Yoshinobu was reinstated as Hitotsubashi family head, and was nominated in 1862 to be theshōgun's guardian (将軍後見職,shōgun kōken-shoku), receiving the position soon afterwards.[9] At the same time, his two closest allies,Matsudaira Yoshinaga andMatsudaira Katamori, were appointed to other high positions: Yoshinaga as chief of political affairs (政治総裁職,seiji sōsai shoku),[10] Katamori as Guardian of Kyoto (京都守護職,Kyoto Shugoshoku).[11] The three men then took numerous steps to quell political unrest in the Kyoto area, and gathered allies to counter the activities of the rebelliousChōshū Domain. They were instrumental figures in thekōbu gattai political party, which sought a reconciliation between the shogunate and the imperial court.[12]
In 1864, Yoshinobu, as commander of the imperial palace's defense, defeated the Chōshū forces in their attempt to capture the imperial palace's Hamaguri Gate (蛤御門,Hamaguri-Gomon) in what is called theKinmon Incident. This was achieved by use of the forces of theAizu–Satsuma coalition.[13]
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After the death ofTokugawa Iemochi in 1866, Yoshinobu was chosen to succeed him, and became the 15thshōgun.[14] He was the only Tokugawashōgun to spend his entire tenure outside of Edo: he never set foot inEdo Castle asshōgun.[15] Immediately upon Yoshinobu's ascension asshōgun, major changes were initiated. A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government. In particular, assistance from theSecond French Empire was organized, with the construction of theYokosuka arsenal underLéonce Verny, and the dispatch of aFrench military mission to modernize the armies of thebakufu.[16]
The national army and navy, which had already been formed under Tokugawa command, were strengthened by the assistance of the Russians, and theTracey Mission provided by the British Royal Navy. Equipment was also purchased from the United States.[17] The outlook among many was that the Tokugawa Shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power; however, it fell in less than a year.
Fearing the renewed strengthening of the Tokugawa shogunate under a strong and wise ruler, samurai fromSatsuma,Chōshū andTosa formed an alliance to counter it. Under the banner ofsonnō jōi ("revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians!") coupled with a fear of the newshōgun as the "Rebirth ofIeyasu" (家康の再来) who would continue to usurp the power of the Emperor, they worked to bring about an end to the shogunate, though they varied in their approaches. In particular, Tosa was more moderate; it proposed a compromise whereby Yoshinobu would resign asshōgun, but preside over a new national governing council composed of variousdaimyōs. To this end, Yamanouchi Toyonori, the lord of Tosa, together with his advisor,Gotō Shōjirō, petitioned Yoshinobu to resign in order to make this possible.[18]
On 9 November 1867, Yoshinobu tendered his resignation to the Emperor and formally stepped down ten days later, returning governing power to the Emperor.[19] He then withdrew from Kyoto toOsaka. However, Satsuma and Chōshū, while supportive of a governing council ofdaimyōs, were opposed to Yoshinobu's leading it.[18] They secretly obtained an imperial edict[18] calling for the use of force against Yoshinobu (later shown to be aforgery)[20] and moved a massive number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops into Kyoto.[21] There was a meeting called at the imperial court, where Yoshinobu was stripped of all titles and land,[22] despite having taken no action that could be construed as aggressive or criminal. Any who would have opposed this were not included in the meeting.[21] Yoshinobu opposed this action, and composed a message of protest, to be delivered to the imperial court;[23] at the urging of the leaders of Aizu, Kuwana, and other domains, and in light of the immense number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops in Kyoto, he dispatched a large body of troops to convey this message to the court.[24]
When the Tokugawa forces arrived outside Kyoto, they were refused entry, and were attacked by Satsuma and Chōshū troops, starting theBattle of Toba–Fushimi, the first clash of theBoshin War.[25] Though the Tokugawa forces had a distinct advantage in numbers, Yoshinobu abandoned his army in the midst of the fight once he realized the Satsuma and Chōshū forces raised the Imperial banner, and escaped toEdo.[26] He placed himself under voluntary confinement, and indicated his submission to the imperial court. However, a peace agreement was reached whereinTayasu Kamenosuke, the young head of a branch of the Tokugawa family, was adopted and made Tokugawa family head;[27] On 11 April 1868, Edo Castle was handed over to the imperial army,[28][29] and the city spared from all-out war.
Together with Kamenosuke (who took the nameTokugawa Iesato), Yoshinobu moved toShizuoka.Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, had also retired to Shizuoka, centuries earlier. Iesato was made thedaimyō of the newShizuoka Domain, but lost this title a few years later, when the domains were abolished. Even after losing his position as ruling shogun, Yoshinobu strove to promote his son Iesato's political career so that he could attain the highest level of influence in the Japanese Imperial court, and also serve as a bridge between old world Japan and modern emerging Japan both domestically and internationally. The close relationship between father and son is highlighted in the illustrated biography on Prince Tokugawa Iesato titledThe Art of Peace.[30]
Many of thehatamoto also relocated to Shizuoka; a large proportion of them did not find adequate means to support themselves. As a result, many of them resented Yoshinobu, some of them to the point of wanting him dead.[31] Yoshinobu was aware of this, and was so afraid of assassination that he redesigned his sleeping arrangement to confuse any potential assassin.[32]
Living a life in quiet retirement, Yoshinobu indulged in many hobbies, including oil painting,kyudo (archery), hunting, photography, and cycling.[33] Some of Yoshinobu's photographs have been published in recent years by his great-grandson,Yoshitomo.[34] His other great-grandson, Yasuhisa Tokugawa of the Mito line, is the former Chief Priest atYasukuni Shrine and current Kaicho of theKokusai Budoin (IMAF).
On 3 June 1902, theEmperor Meiji allowed him to re-establish his own house as a Tokugawa branch (bekke) with the highest rank in the peerage, that of prince (kōshaku), for his loyal service to Japan.[35] He took a seat in theHouse of Peers, and resigned in 1910. Tokugawa Yoshinobu died on 21 November 1913 and is buried inYanaka Cemetery, Tokyo.
On 9 January 1896, his ninth daughter Tsuneko Tokugawa (1882–1939) marriedPrince Fushimi Hiroyasu, a second cousin to bothEmperor Hirohito andEmpress Kōjun and nephew ofPrince Kan'in Kotohito.
On 26 December 1911, his granddaughterKikuko Tokugawa was born. She marriedPrince Takamatsu, the brother of Emperor Hirohito, to become Princess Takamatsu.
The years in which Yoshinobu wasshōgun are more specifically identified by more than oneera name ornengō.
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His grandson Tokugawa Hiromi graduated as part of the 65th Class of theImperial Japanese Naval Academy in March 1938.[citation needed] On 12 July 1943, he waskilled in action duringWorld War II when thesubmarineRo-101 he was deployed on was fired on by the destroyerUSS Taylor inIndispensable Strait nearGuadalcanal in theSolomon Islands.[citation needed] Shrapnel cut down Tokugawa and two enlisted lookouts, but the submarine was able to dive and escape. Tokugawa was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Sei-i Taishōgun August 29, 1866 – January 3, 1868 | Shogunate abolished |
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Sei-i Taishōgun January 3, 1868 – June 19, 1868 Reason for succession failure: Shogunate abolished | Succeeded by |
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Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All Tokugawashōguns share descent fromIeyasu, who is recognized as the dynasty's founder. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Timeline and paternities of theTokugawa Shogunate | ||
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 | Lifespan Reign | |
Tokugawa bureaucracy organization chart | |||
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Notes | |||
This bureaucracy evolved in anad hoc manner, responding to perceived needs. | |||
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