Edo Shogunate (2/2)the last samurai government

The Kansei reforms were initially well received, but as they were too strict, criticism gradually became stronger, and Sadanobu Matsudaira was finally dismissed from office in 1793. After that, Tokugawa Ienari appointed Tadanari Mizuno, a side servant, as the head of Katsukake and Rojyu, but Tadanari is said to have been active in enriching his own pockets by reviving bribery.

Also, around this time, American and British ships began to arrive on the Japanese coast, and the ``Foreign Ships Elimination Order'' was issued. As a result, defense expenditures increased and the Shogunate's finances were on the verge of collapse.

Coins were reminted, but this only increased economic anxiety. During this time, Ienari himself led a lazy life, and as Tadahide Hayashi and others he had appointed as close aides held the real power in the shogunate, the shogunate's corruption and discipline became serious. In response to this, the Heihachiro Oshio Rebellion and the Ikuta Man Rebellion occurred. In 1837, Tokugawa Ienari handed over the post of shogun to his second son, Ieyoshi, but did not relinquish real power until his death at the age of 69.

The 12th shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, commandeers Tadakuni Mizuno, an old man, to carry out Tenpo reforms. However, the Tenpo reforms were met with fierce backlash and stalled due to the adoption of a thorough crackdown on luxury and fiscal austerity policies, as well as the suppression of enlightened Dutch scholars such as Takano Nagaei and Watanabe Kazan. did.

He also apologized for the advice of King Willem II of the Netherlands to open the country. During Ieyoshi's time, Perry arrived on the voyage, but died while busy dealing with the situation.

The 13th Shogun Tokugawa Iesada was Ieyoshi's fourth son. Ieyoshi had 14 sons and 13 daughters, but only Iesada survived to adulthood, and it is said that Ieyoshi himself was in poor health. After becoming Shogun, Matthew Perry returned to Japan in 1854 with a fleet of seven ships, and the Shogunate signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan on March 31 of the same year. With the signing of the treaty, the turmoil at the end of the Edo period begins. Iesada's health condition, which had been ailing to begin with, deteriorated further, and the shogunate government was thrown into turmoil as he was unable to find an heir. Finally, he appointed Iemochi Tokugawa as his successor and ended his life at the age of 35.

The 14th Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi was Iesada's cousin. He was also the person to whom Princess Kazunomiya married, and Atsuhime Tenshoin was also her adoptive mother. In 1866, during the turmoil at the end of the Edo period, during the second Choshu conquest, Iemochi fell ill at Osaka Castle and died shortly thereafter. He died too young at the age of 21 (20 years old).

Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the 15th and last shogun, was the seventh son of Nariaki Tokugawa, the lord of Mito. He was also the only shogun who never entered Edo Castle during his tenure as shogun.

Yoshinobu Tokugawa assumed the position of guardian of the shogun in 1860. He was originally involved in the shogun succession issue that had been going on since the time of the 12th shogun, Ieyoshi, and it is said that he had no intention of becoming the shogun. After becoming a general, he was active in opening up the country, and he continued to take part in politics on the plane. Although he opened the ports of Yokohama and Kobe, his strong stance towards opening up the country caused friction with the shogun's retainers, and an anti-shogunate force led by the Satsuma domain was formed. This flow is often depicted in movies, dramas, novels, etc.

In 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu proposed to Emperor Meiji to restore imperial rule, which was accepted, and the Edo Shogunate, which had lasted more than 260 years, came to an end. However, politics remained unstable, and in the first year of the Meiji era (1868), the five feudal domains of Satsuma, Tosa, Aki, Owari, and Echizen started a political coup and took control of the imperial court, eliminating Yoshinobu and establishing a new government. Declare the establishment of a government.

In December of that year, the Boshin War broke out and Tokugawa Yoshinobu participated in the war, but retreated from Osaka to Edo, and the Shogunate army suffered defeats starting with the battles of Toba and Fushimi. The new government army then surrounded Edo Castle, but as a result of a meeting between Kaishu Katsu, the representative of the shogunate, and Takamori Saigo, the representative of the new government army, Edo Castle was surrendered bloodlessly and the Tokugawa shogunate was formally established in the following year, 1969. disappeared.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu temporarily waited for his death in Mito, but as a result of his former retainers, including Kaishu Katsu and Kazuo Okubo, lobbying high-ranking government officials such as Sanetomi Sanjo and Toshimichi Okubo, he was released from the restraint and moved to Shizuoka. In 1871, Tokugawa Yoshinobu moved to Tokyo, and in 1881 he was appointed to the rank of Juichii and became a duke.

After retiring as shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa immersed himself in his hobbies, enjoying the rest of his life in a relatively free manner, drinking coffee and enjoying cycling, until his death in 1922.

Tokugawa shogunate summary

The Tokugawa shogunate was the last samurai government ruled by the 15th shogun for 260 years.
Even today, this era is depicted in novels, movies, and dramas, and we can easily feel the atmosphere of that era.
The Tokugawa family still exists today, and the family is working hard to protect cultural properties.