In memory of the Last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu aka Keiki; Born in one of the three branch families of the Tokugawa clan which were eligible to be chosen as shogun he was brought up under strict, spartan supervision and tutelage. He became family head at the age of ten, coming of age that year, receiving court rank and title. Upon the death of the 13th shogun, Shogun Iesada, in 1858, he was nominated as successor at twenty-one, his supporters touting his skill and efficiency in managing family affairs. However, the opposing faction won out. Their candidate, the eleven year old Tokugawa Yoshitomi, was chosen, and became the 14th shogun Iemochi. Soon after, during the Ansei Purge, Yoshinobu and others who supported him were placed under house arrest. Yoshinobu himself was made to retire from his family headship. The period of his foes domination of the Tokugawa government was marked by mismanagement and political infighting, but upon the assassination of the regent, his position was restored and he was made regent, so contrafactuality as to What would have happened if ...(he had become Shogun in 1858 instead of 1866) is somewhat moot. As regent, he mainly was concerned with suppressing rebellion and improving relations between the government and God (the Son of Heaven, a religious, not a political post.). it was at his instigation that Shogun Iemochi travelled in a great procession to the capital after being summoned by the emperor. This was the first time since the visit of Iemitsu in the Kanei era, 230 years before, that a shogun had visited Kyoto. As part of the Kōbu Gattai (Union of Court and Bakufu) movement, Iemochi was married to Imperial Princess Kazu-no-Miya Chikako daughter of Emperor Ninkō, and younger sister of Emperor Kōmei, but his mysterious early death, at the age of 20, put an end to the short marriage. The cause of death is widely reported as heart failure due to beriberi, a disease caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (?). As the 15th (and last) shogun of the Shoguns of Japan, he was part of an (unsuccessful( movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate. Immediately upon his ascension, major changes were initiated. A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government. In particular, assistance from the Second French Empire was organized, with the construction of the Yokosuka arsenal under Leonce Verny, and the dispatch of a French military mission to modernize the armies of the bakufu. The national army and navy, which had already been formed under Tokugawa command, were strengthened by the assistance of the Russians, and the Tracey Mission provided by the British Royal Navy. Equipment was also purchased from the United States. The outlook among many was that the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power; however, it would fall in less than a year. Fearing the renewed strengthening of the Tokugawa shogunate under a strong and wise ruler, samurai from Satsuma, Chōshū and Tosa formed an alliance to counter it. Under the banner of sonnō jōi (revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians!) coupled with a fear of the new Shogun as the Rebirth of Ieyasu who would continue to usurp the power of the Emperor, they worked to bring about an end to the shogunate, though they varied in their approaches. In particular, Tosa was more moderate; it proposed a compromise whereby Yoshinobu would resign as shogun, but preside over a new national governing council composed of various daimyo. To this end, Yamanouchi Toyonori, the lord of Tosa, together with his advisor, Gotō Shōjirō, petitioned Yoshinobu to resign in order to make this possible. On November 9, 1867, Yoshinobu tendered his resignation to the Emperor and formally stepped down ten days later, returning governing power to the Emperor. He then withdrew from Kyoto to Osaka. However, Satsuma and Chōshū, while supportive of a governing council of daimyo, were opposed to Yoshinobu leading it. They secretly obtained an a forged imperial edict calling for the use of force against Yoshinobu and moved a massive number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops into Kyoto. There was a meeting called at the imperial court, where Yoshinobu was stripped of all titles and land, despite having taken no action that could be construed as aggressive or criminal. Yoshinobu opposed this action, and composed a message of protest, to be delivered to the imperial court. In light of the immense number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops in Kyoto, he dispatched a large body of troops to convey this message to the court. When the Tokugawa forces arrived outside Kyoto, they were refused entry, and were attacked by Satsuma and Choshu troops, starting the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the first clash of the Boshin War. Though the Tokugawa forces had a distinct advantage in numbers, Yoshinobu abandoned his army in the midst of the fight once he realized the Satsuma and Choshu forces raised the Imperial banner, and hostilities would begin a war with no prospect of quick victory and the potential to turn into a religious conflict. His own religious views apparently did include reverence of the Emporer, whose mercy and protection he sought, and obtained. After resigning in late 1867, he went into retirement, and largely avoided the public eye for the rest of his life. Living a life in quiet retirement, Yoshinobu indulged in many hobbies, including oil-painting, archery, hunting, photography, and cycling. youtube/watch?v=-77Ld8jKf_k
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 20:43:46 +0000
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