Tokugawa Ieyasu — a ruthless leader Building on the work of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan and took control over daimȳo clans. He founded the Tokugawa sh̄ogunate, which ruled Japan until 1867. Born in 1542 as Matsudaira Takechiyo, Ieyasu changed his name several times, becoming Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1567 and claiming descent from the Minamoto clan. He fought alongside Oda Nobunaga in many battles and, after Oda’s death in 1582, took control of several provinces. In 1600, Ieyasu won a key military victory and declared himself sh̄ogun in 1603. Ieyasu made Edo, a small fishing town, the centre of his sh̄ogunate. He expanded a small castle there into a huge residence and military base. Edo grew quickly as Japan’s administrative centre, attracting samurai, merchants and artisans, eventually becoming the world’s largest city by the 1700s.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical significance 1. Who were the Ikk̄o-ikki rebels that Tokugawa Ieyasu fought against? 2. What is the significance of the Battle of Bat̄o-ga-hara in Japanese history? 3. Why was Tokugawa Ieyasu important in unifying Japan?
SOURCE9 A depiction of the Battle of Bat̄o-ga-hara, when Tokugawa Ieyasu fought against Ikk̄o-ikki rebels
Law and order The Tokugawa sh̄oguns came to power after a long civil war and worked to limit the power of rival daimȳo clans. To control them, the sh̄oguns required daimȳo to travel to Edo every second year, to show loyalty. These trips were grand, with samurai escorts and palanquins, but costly. To return home, the daimȳo had to leave their families in Edo as hostages. The high costs of travel, maintaining a home in Edo and giving gifts to the sh̄ogun kept the daimȳo from becoming too wealthy or powerful. Long processions of samurai accompanying daimȳo in palanquins became a common sight. 9.4.5 Looking inwards The Tokugawa sh̄oguns were highly suspicious of people and ideas from overseas and aimed to protect Japan’s traditions. Christianity was banned as ‘un-Japanese’, and citizens were forbidden from travelling overseas. For over 260 years, the sh̄oguns isolated Japan from the world. They also tightly controlled international trade. Only Dutch, Korean and Chinese traders were allowed to trade, while others, like the Spanish and Portuguese, were banned. Trade was restricted to the port of Nagasaki, and goods were strictly monitored. Merchants had to pay fees and taxes for the right to trade, and the sh̄ogunate owned most Japanese trading ships, granting permits only to selected merchants to operate them.
TOPIC9 Japan under the sh̄oguns 225
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