'Tokugawa Yoshinobu' (徳川 慶喜 ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu'' (also known as ''Keiki''),
October 28,
1837–
November 22,
1913) was the 15th and last
shogun of the
Edo Shogunate or
Tokugawa shogunate of
Japan.
Early life
Tokugawa Yoshinobu was born in
Mito,
Ibaraki,
Japan, the seventh son of
Tokugawa Nariaki,
Daimyo of Mito, inferior of the
Three Houses or Families that were eligible to hold the Tokugawa shogunate.
Born with the name Tokugawa Shichiroma (later assuming the name Yoshinobu, also read "Keiki"), he was brought up under strict supervision and tutelage by mostly male educators of his father. Taught in the
arts,
swordfighting,
martial arts,
politics and
government, Keiki would be discovered as an evidently promising future leader, being highly intelligent with keen leadership skills.
At the instigation of his father, he was adopted by the
Hitotsubashi family in order to have a better chance of succeeding to the shogunate. Upon the death of the 13th shogun,
Shogun Iesada, in
1858, Tokugawa Keiki, daimyo of Hitotsubashi, was nominated as Shogun. Supporters demonstrated his skill in efficiently managing Hitotsubashi government at young age. But enemies led by
Ii Naosuke gained support and put up Tokugawa Iemochi as 14th Shogun. Tokugawa Keiki, his supporters and his family were placed under severe
house arrest.
The reign of
Tokugawa Iemochi was marked by incompetence and mismanagement. Upon the
assassination of Ii Naosuke in
1860, to save the Tokugawa shogunate from self-destruction, Tokugawa Keiki was nominated in 1862 to be a member of the 5-man council of elders (advisers), the
Rōjū. Keiki then took numerous steps to quell the rising rebellion, and gathered allies to counter the rebellious
Chōshū Domain and treaties with foreign states. In 1864, Keiki successfully defeated the Chōshū forces in their attempt to capture the imperial gates in
Hamaguri, allying with the forces of the
Aizu-
Satsuma coalition.
Shogun Yoshinobu (1866)
In 1866, Shogun Iemochi fell ill and died, leaving the Tokugawa bakufu (shogunate) very weak and losing control, with no successor competent enough to save the government. Tokugawa Keiki was strongly supported by all Tokugawas and its allies as the only person with enough skill and experience to save Government. Tokugawa Keiki became the 15th Tokugawa Shogun in 1866, taking the name Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
Immediately upon Yoshinobu's ascension as shogun, major changes were initiated. A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government. In particular, assistance from the
Second French Empire was organized, with the construction of the
Yokosuka arsenal under
Leonce Verny, and the dispatch of a French military mission to modernize the armies of the
Bakufu.
A national army and navy were formed and the outlook was that the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power.
Boshin war (1867–1869)
Fearing the renewed strengthening of the Tokugawas under a strong and wise ruler, daimyo from Satsuma, Chōshū and
Tosa formed an alliance to counter the bakufu. Under the banner of ''
sonnō jōi'' and the radicals' fear of the new Shogun as the "Rebirth of Ieyasu" who will usurp the power of the Emperor, they waged the
Boshin war against the Tokugawa bakufu, successfully gaining strong support from other daimyos. After a number of massive losses on the side of the Tokugawa, still reeling from its past weakness, Yoshinobu agreed that the Tokugawa could not win the civil war, and that Japan needed to be united with more potent and powerful foreigners.
In 1867, Yoshinobu stepped down as shogun, returning all power to the Emperor. Arguably, it could be said that many of the former shogun's powers, duties and responsibilities were taken over by men who were known as the "
Three great nobles" of the early Meiji era:
Okubo Toshimichi,
Saigō Takamori and
Kido Takayoshi.
Yoshinobu was placed under
house arrest, and stripped of all titles, land and power. His adopted successor was the young
Tokugawa Iesato, then known as Tayasu Kamenosuke. He was later on released, when he demonstrated no further interest and ambition in national affairs. He retired to
Shizuoka, the place to which
Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of Tokugawa shogunate, also retired. Many of the
hatamoto also relocated there; 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.
[1] Yoshinobu was aware of this, and was so afraid of assassination that he redesigned his sleeping arrangement to confuse a potential assassin.
[2]
Living a life in quiet retirement, Yoshinobu indulged in many hobbies, including oil-painting, archery, hunting, photography, and even cycling. Some of Yoshinobu's photographs have been published in recent years by his great-grandson,
Yoshitomo.
In 1902, the
Meiji Emperor allowed him to reestablish 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. Prince Tokugawa Yoshinobu [peer] died on November 21, 1913 at 4:10 pm.
Eras of Yoshinobu's ''bakufu''
★ ''
Keiō (1865-1868)
★ ''
Meiji (1868-1912)
References
Notes
1. Tokugawa Munefusa, ''Tokugawa yonbyakunen no naisho banashi'', vol. 1, p. 131
2. Tokugawa, pp. 131-133
Further reading
★ Matsuura Rei 松浦玲. ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu: shōgun-ke no Meiji-ishin'' 德川慶喜 : 將軍家の明治維新. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha 中央公論社, 1975.
★ Shiba, Ryōtarō. ''The Last Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu'', trans. Juliet Winters Carpenter. New York: Kodansha International, 1998. ISBN 1-56836-246-3
★ Shibusawa Eiichi 渋沢栄一, ed. ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-kō den'' 德川慶喜公伝. Tokyo: Heibonsha 平凡社, 1967-1968.
★ Takano Kiyoshi 高野澄. ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu: kindai Nihon no enshutsusha'' 德川慶喜 : 近代日本の演出者. Tokyo: Nihon Hōsō Shuppan Kyōkai 日本放送出版協会, 1997.
★ Tokugawa Munefusa 徳川宗英. ''Tokugawa Yonbyaku-nen no naisho-banashi'' 徳川四百年の内緒話. Tokyo: Bungei-shunju, 2004.
★ Tokugawa Yoshitomo 徳川慶朝. ''Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke ni Youkoso: Waga ie ni tsutawaru aisubeki "Saigo no Shogun" no Yokogao'' 徳川慶喜家にようこそわがが家に伝わる愛すべき「最後の将軍」の横顔. Tokyo: Bungei-shunju, 2003. ISBN 4-16-765680-9
★ Totman, Conrad. ''The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu, 1862-1868''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1980.
See also
★
Late Tokugawa shogunate
★
Meiji Restoration
★
Tokugawa Yoshinobu-ke
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