Tokugawa Iemochi

Tokugawa Iemochi was the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign, there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. Iemochi's reign also saw a weakening of the shogunate. He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Tokugawa Nariyuki, a younger son of the 11th shogun Tokugawa Ienari, and his concubine Jitsujoin. He was adopted by Tokugawa Narikatsu, the 12th lord of the Kishu domain, and succeeded him in 1850. He changed his name from Yoshitomi to Iemochi when he became the shogun in 1858, after the death of his cousin Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun. He was supported by Ii Naosuke, the chief minister of the shogunate, who favored opening Japan to foreign trade and diplomacy. In 1862, he married Princess Kazu-no-Miya Chikako, a daughter of Emperor Ninko, as part of the kōbu gattai (union of court and bakufu) movement. He also visited Kyoto in 1863, the first shogun to do so in 230 years, to meet with the emperor and seek his approval for the treaties with the western powers. However, his policies faced strong opposition from some domains, especially Choshu, which attempted to overthrow the shogunate and restore the imperial rule. Iemochi led a military campaign against Choshu in 1864, but failed to subdue the rebels. He also faced challenges from the anti-foreign movement of sonno joi (revere the emperor, expel the barbarians), which assassinated Ii Naosuke and other pro-shogunate officials. Iemochi died in 1866 at the age of 20, while he was in Osaka preparing for another expedition against Choshu. The cause of his death is widely reported as heart failure due to beriberi, a disease caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. He was buried in Zōjō-ji, a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. He adopted a son, Tayasu Kamenosuke, as his heir, but he was succeeded by Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. Iemochi's widow, Princess Kazu-no-Miya, changed her name to Seikan'in no Miya and became a Buddhist nun. She died in 1877.