Tokugawa Ietsugu
Encyclopedia
Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川 家継 (August 8, 1709 – June 19, 1716) was the seventh shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

 of the Tokugawa Dynasty
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

, who ruled from 1713 until his death in 1716. He was the son of Tokugawa Ienobu
Tokugawa Ienobu
was the sixth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-great grandson of Tokugawa...

, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Tsunashige, daimyo of Kofu, great-grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...

, great-great grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...

, and finally the great-great-great grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

.

Early Life (1709-1713)

Tokugawa Ietsugu was born in 1709 in Edo, being the eldest son of Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu
Tokugawa Ienobu
was the sixth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-great grandson of Tokugawa...

 and concubine, Gekkōin. At that time, his father was shogun, and was being advised by his long time Confucian advisor, Arai Hakuseki
Arai Hakuseki
was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo Period, who advised the Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi . Hakuseki was his pen name...

, who held considerable influence in the shogun's court at Edo. At the time Ietsugu was born, his father, Ienobu, was 48. His childhood name was Nobumatsu kimi
Kimi
- Japanese words : may refer to:* One of names for the Emperor of Japan* An honorific title. One of the names for one's lord or master in the Middle Ages.* One of the second-person personal pronouns in Japanese language - People :...

. Arai had traced the Tokugawa family's bloodline back to the Minamoto family, the founders of the first Shogunate. Thus, Ietsuga also was called Minamoto no Ietsugu. He was only three years old when his father died, upon which he became Shogun Ietsugu.

Shogun Ietsugu (1713-1716)

Although Shogun Ietsugu assumed the role as formal head of the bakufu, he was still a toddler. As he was not old or able enough to rule, he was put under the protection and advice of Confucian scholar Arai Hakuseki
Arai Hakuseki
was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo Period, who advised the Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi . Hakuseki was his pen name...

. Two problems were addressed during Ietsugu's reign: currency reform and foreign trade in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

. Ietsugu did not take much care of the country's matters; and his advisors, namely Arai Hakuseki, addressed them.

In 1713, prices were rising. Thus, after various proposals (most after the death of Ienobu) submitted to Shogun Ietsugu and Arai, it was decided to create a new currency. In 1714, the new metallic currency was introduced. While rice had increased during the rule of Ienobu, after the currency was introduced during the rule of Ietsugu, it fell to a lower level.

The currency reform was closely linked to foreign trade. In 1716, only Dutch and Chinese merchant ships could trade from Dejima
Dejima
was a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634. This island, which was formed by digging a canal through a small peninsula, remained as the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to...

 in Nagasaki. Reform of the currency system also led to reform of trade rules as well. In 1716, a document was addressed saying that the bakufu would appoint two commissioners of Foreign Trade in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 and Nagasaki, and that 30 Chinese ships and 2 Dutch ships be allowed to enter the country each year. Nonetheless, Japan still remained very isolated.

Death

In Shōtoku 6, on the 30th day of the 4th month (1716), Shogun Ietsugu died of complications of a cold, at the age of six. He had not done much to rule—but was thought of as a playful and mischievous character. Since he left no children or direct heir, the direct paternal line of Tokugawa Ieyasu died out with him (one hundred years after Ieyasu died himself). Nonetheless, there were still collateral lineal branches descended from Ieyasu through one of his many children, and the new shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune
Tokugawa Yoshimune
was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Lineage:...

, was chosen from one of these lineal Tokugawa branches.

Eras of Ietsugu's bakufu

The years in which Ietsugu was shogun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.
  • Shōtoku
    Shotoku (era)
    was a after Hōei and before Kyōhō. This period spanned the years from April 1711 through June 1716. The reigning emperor was .-Change of Era:...

    (1711–1716)
  • Kyōhō
    Kyoho
    was a after Shōtoku and before Gembun. This period spanned the years from July 1716 through April 1736. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...

    (1716–1736)
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