Tokugawa Hidetada

Tokugawa Hidetada was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was born in 1579, shortly before his mother, Lady Saigō, died. He was raised by Lady Achaa, one of Ieyasu's concubines, and his elder brother, Matsudaira Tadayoshi. He was named the heir of the Tokugawa family in 1592, after his eldest brother, Nobuyasu, was executed for treason and his second brother, Hideyasu, was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the de facto ruler of Japan. He married Oeyo, the daughter of Azai Nagamasa and the adopted daughter of Hideyoshi, in 1595. They had two sons and two daughters. Hidetada was involved in several military campaigns under his father's command, such as the Siege of Odawara (1590), the Korean invasions (1592-1598), and the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). He also served as a hostage of Hideyoshi to ensure Ieyasu's loyalty. After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Hidetada became one of the five regents appointed to rule on behalf of Hideyoshi's son and successor, Toyotomi Hideyori. However, the regents soon fell into conflict over the control of Japan, and Ieyasu emerged as the most powerful among them. He defeated his rivals at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and received the title of shogun from the emperor in 1603. He then transferred his authority to Hidetada in 1605, while retaining his influence as the retired shogun. Hidetada continued his father's policies of consolidating the Tokugawa rule, suppressing the remnants of the Toyotomi clan, and expanding the shogunal domains. He also enforced the anti-Christian edicts, which resulted in the persecution and expulsion of Christian missionaries and converts. He restricted the foreign trade and contact with other countries, allowing only the Dutch and the Chinese to trade at Nagasaki. He also promoted the development of culture, arts, and education in Japan, and patronized scholars and artists such as Hayashi Razan and Kanō Tan'yū. He abdicated in 1623 in favor of his eldest son, Iemitsu, and became the retired shogun. He died in 1632 at the age of 52. He was buried at Zōjō-ji, a Buddhist temple in Edo.