Tokugawa Tsunayoshi

Early years (1646–1680)

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was born on 23 February 1646, in Edo. He was the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu by one of his concubines, named Otama, later known as Keishōin 桂昌院 (1627–1705). Tsunayoshi had an elder brother already five years old, who would become the next shogun after Iemitsu's death, Tokugawa Ietsuna. Tsunayoshi was born in Edo and after his birth moved in with his mother to her own private apartments in Edo Castle. "The younger son (Tsunayoshi) apparently distinguished himself by his precociousness and liveliness at an early age, and the father, the third shogun, Iemitsu, became fearful that he might usurp the position of his duller elder brothers [and] thus he ordered that the boy (Tsunayoshi) not to be brought up as a samurai/warrior, as was becoming for his station, but be trained as a scholar." His childhood name was Tokumatsu (徳松).

While his father was shōgun, his mother was an adopted daughter of the Honjō family, led by Honjō Munemasa (1580–1639) in Kyoto. His mother's natural parents were merchants in Kyoto. This remarkable woman was very close with Tsunayoshi in his young years, and while his older brother Ietsuna began to rely on regents for much of his reign, Tsunayoshi did exactly the opposite, relying on his remarkable mother for advice until her death.

In 1651, shōgun Iemitsu died when Tsunayoshi was only five years old. His older brother, Tokugawa Ietsuna, became shogun. For the most part, Tsunayoshi's life during the reign of his brother shōgun Ietsuna is unknown, but he never advised his brother.

Family

Father: Tokugawa Iemitsu (12 August 1604 – 8 June 1651)

Mother: Otama no Kata (玉方, 1627–1705) later Keishōin, daughter of Honjo Munemasa

Consorts and their issue(s)

Wife (Seishitsu): Takatsukasa Nobuko (鷹司信子, 1651 – 1709) later Jokoin (浄光院), daughter of court noble Takatsukasa Norihira

Concubine (Sokushitsu): Oden no Kata (お伝の方, 1658 – 1738) later Zuishun-in (瑞春院)

Tsuruhime (鶴姫, 9 May 1677 – 15 May 1704), 1st daughter

married Tokugawa Tsunanori of Kii Domain

Tokugawa Tokumatsu (徳川 徳松, 14 June 1679 – 22 July 1683), 1st son

Concubine (Sokushitsu): Lady Osuke (大典侍, d.1714), later Jukoin (寿光院）

Concubine (Sokushitsu): Lady Shinsuke (新典侍), later Sheishin-in (清心院）

Adopted children

Tokugawa Ienobu

Kichihime (1697–1701) signed as Midaidokoro's daughter

Yaehime (1689–1746) daughter of Takatsukasa Sukenobu, married Tokugawa Yoshizane of Mito Family later Yousen-in had 1 daughter, Miyohime married Tokugawa Munetaka signed as Midaidokoro's daughter

Matsuhime daughter of Tokugawa Tsunanari married Maeda Yoshinori signed as Midaidokoro's daughter

Takehime (1705–1772), daughter of Hirosada Seikan'in and adopted by Tokugawa Yoshimune and married Shimazu Tsugutoyo of Satsuma Domain and known as Joganin had 1 daughter, Kikuhime (1733–1808) signed as Midaidokoro's daughter and signed as Okume no Kata's daughter when she became adopted daughter of Yoshimune

Disputed succession (1680)

In 1680, shōgun Ietsuna died at the premature age of 38.

4 June 1680 (Enpō 8, 8th day of the 5th month): Shogun Ietsuna's death leads to the accession of Tsunayoshi as head of the shogunate.

1680–81 (Enpō 8): Gokoku-ji in Edo is founded in honor of Tsunayoshi's mother.

1681 (Tenna 1): Tsunayoshi's investiture as shōgun.

A power struggle ensued, and for a time, the succession remained an open question. Sakai Tadakiyo, one of Ietsuna's most favored advisors, suggested that the succession not pass to someone of the Tokugawa line, but rather to the blood royal, favoring one of the sons of Emperor Go-Sai to become the next shōgun (as during the Kamakura shogunate) but Tadakiyo was dismissed soon after.

Hotta Masatoshi, one of the most brilliant advisors of shōgun Ietsuna's rule, was the first person to suggest that Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, as the brother of the former shōgun and the son of the third, become the next shōgun. Finally, in 1681 (Tenna 1), Tsunayoshi's elevation was confirmed; and he was installed as the fifth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Shōgun (1680–1709)

The political structure within which Tsunayoshi governed was the bakuhan system. It established a national authority in the shōgun as well as a regional authority in the daimyō; it also included an increasing amount of bureaucracy to manage both the centralization of power and decentralization of power. This was the feudal hierarchy that Tsunayoshi enforced through the strict application of the samurai code, as he interacted with the shinpan (related houses), fudai (house daimyō), and tozama (outside vassals) daimyō. Immediately after becoming shōgun, Tsunayoshi gave Hotta Masatoshi the title of Tairō, in a way thanking him for ensuring his succession. Almost immediately after he became shogun, he ordered a vassal of the Takata to commit suicide because of misgovernment, showing his strict approach to the samurai code. He then confiscated his fief of 250,000 koku. During his reign, he confiscated a total of 1,400,000 koku.

In 1682, shōgun Tsunayoshi ordered his censors and police to raise the living standard of the people. Soon, prostitution was banned, waitresses could not be employed in tea houses, and rare and expensive fabrics were banned. Most probably, smuggling began as a practice in Japan soon after Tsunayoshi's authoritarian laws came into effect. In 1684, Tsunayoshi also decreased the power of the tairō after the assassination of Masatoshi by a cousin in that same year.

Nonetheless, due again to maternal advice, Tsunayoshi became very religious, promoting the Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi. In 1682, he read to the daimyōs an exposition of the "Great Learning", which became an annual tradition at the shōgun's court. He soon began to lecture even more, and in 1690 lectured about Neo-Confucian work to Shinto and Buddhist daimyōs, and even to envoys from the court of Emperor Higashiyama in Kyoto. He also was interested in several Chinese works, namely The Great Learning (Da Xue) and The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiao Jing). Tsunayoshi also loved art and Noh theater.

In 1691, Engelbert Kaempfer visited Edo as part of the annual Dutch embassy from Dejima in Nagasaki. He journeyed from Nagasaki to Osaka, to Kyoto, and there to Edo. Kaempfer gives us information on Japan during the early reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. As the Dutch embassy entered Edo in 1692, they asked to have an audience with Shogun Tsunayoshi. While they were waiting for approval, a fire destroyed six hundred houses in Edo, and the audience was postponed. Tsunayoshi and several of the ladies of the court sat behind reed screens, while the Dutch embassy sat in front of them. Tsunayoshi took an interest in Western matters, and apparently asked them to talk and sing with one another for him to see how Westerners behaved. Tsunayoshi later put on a Noh drama for them.

Legacy

Although derided during his time and afterwards for what was perceived as his overtly strong care of dogs, more recent evaluations by historians have shown him to be ahead of his time with his progressive animal welfare laws. His edicts on the care of animals can be seen as equivalent to modern-day animal rights and welfare laws and regulations. His reign marked the first time in comprehensive and enforced animal welfare and rights in Japan since the rule of Emperor Tenmu (673–686).

Eras of Tsunayoshi's bakufu

The years in which Tsunayoshi was shogun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.

Enpō (1673–1681)

Tenna (1681–1684)

Jōkyō (1684–1688)

Genroku (1688–1704)

Hōei (1704–1711)