Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu was a Japanese warrior and the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow Oda subordinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Ieyasu was born into the family of a local warrior situated several miles east of modern Nagoya, one of many such families struggling to survive in a brutal age of endemic civil strife. His childhood was scarcely auspicious. His father, Matsudaira Hirotada, was involved in a network of shifting alliances that repeatedly drew him into battle. When Ieyasu was two years old, his mother was permanently separated from his father’s family because of one such change in alliances, and in 1547 military adversity compelled his father to send him away as hostage to the Imagawa family, powerful neighbours headquartered at Sumpu (now the city of Shizuoka) to the east. However, members of the rival Oda clan to the west waylaid his entourage, and he was held for two years before being released to the Imagawa. Conditions at Sumpu were more settled, and Ieyasu was trained in the military and governmental arts and developed a great love for falconry. In the late 1550s he took a wife, fathered the first of several sons, and began to acquire military experience by leading forces on behalf of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the clan leader. Despite his personal comfort, however, Ieyasu’s years at Sumpu had been worrisome ones. He had learned that his father had been murdered by a close vassal in 1549 (one of the events leading to his release by the Oda) and had observed helplessly from afar the subsequent disintegration of his family fortunes. In 1560 Imagawa Yoshimoto was slain during a battle with Oda Nobunaga, who was rapidly gaining power, and young Ieyasu seized the opportunity to return to his family’s small castle and assume control of his surviving relatives and vassals. He soon allied himself with Oda Nobunaga and became his vassal and general. He fought in several battles under Nobunaga's command, such as the Battle of Anegawa, the Battle of Nagashino, and the Siege of Takatenjin. He also expanded his domain by conquering neighbouring territories and building alliances with other warlords. He became one of the most powerful daimyos in Japan and a loyal supporter of Nobunaga. After Nobunaga's death in 1582, Ieyasu was briefly a rival of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Nobunaga as the de facto ruler of Japan. However, Ieyasu soon submitted to Hideyoshi and became his ally and subordinate. He was rewarded with the Kanto region in eastern Japan, where he built his castle in the fishing village of Edo (now Tokyo). He also participated in Hideyoshi's campaigns against the Hojo clan, the Shimazu clan, and the invasion of Korea. He became the most senior officer under the Toyotomi regime and the guardian of Hideyoshi's son and heir, Hideyori. After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Ieyasu seized power in 1600, after the Battle of Sekigahara, where he defeated the coalition of daimyos who opposed him. He consolidated his authority and received the title of shogun in 1603, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate, which would rule Japan for over 250 years. He implemented various policies to maintain order and stability, such as the strict enforcement of social hierarchy, the establishment of a bureaucratic administration system, the regulation of foreign trade and relations, and the suppression of Christianity. He also promoted culture and arts, such as the tea ceremony, Noh theatre, and painting. He voluntarily abdicated from office in 1605, but remained in power until his death in 1616. He was succeeded by his son, Tokugawa Hidetada, and was deified as Toshogu, the "Great Light of the East". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Japanese history.