Tokugawa Ietsuna

The fourth Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. The eldest son of the third Shogun, Iemitsu. His mother was a member of the Masuyama clan and was named Oraku no Kata. He was born on August 3, 1621. His childhood name was Takechiyo. In 1644 (Shoho 1), he was named Ietsuna. The following year, in 1645, he became a Junior Third Rank Provincial Dainagon. In 1650 (Keian 3), he became the heir and moved to the Nishinomaru, and the following year, in 1651, following the death of Iemitsu, he became Shogun at the age of just 11. Ietsuna was the Tokugawa clan's first young Shogun, and even as he grew older he was ill, so he rarely took part in politics himself. Instead, government was carried out by civil rule under the collective guidance of the Tokugawa clan, including Hoshina Masayuki, Sakai Tadakatsu, and Matsudaira Nobutsuna, as well as the genro and rōjū, and the shogunate system was established during this period, along with the development of the shogunate's administrative machinery. He died on May 8, 8th year of Enpo, with the issue of succession still unresolved. He was 40 years old. He was buried at Toeizan. His posthumous name was Genyuin. His wife was the daughter of Prince Sadakiyo of Fushiminomiya (Asamiya).

[Fujino Tamotsu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府第4代将軍。3代将軍家光(いえみつ)の長男。母は増山氏で於楽之方(おらくのかた)という。寛永(かんえい)18年8月3日誕生。幼名は竹千代。1644年（正保1）家綱と命名。翌1645年従三位権大納言(じゅさんみごんだいなごん)となる。1650年（慶安3）世子(せいし)となって西の丸に移り、翌1651年家光の死去に伴い、わずか11歳で将軍となった。家綱は徳川氏初の幼将軍であり、かつ長じても病弱であったため、自ら政治を行うことは少なく、保科正之(ほしなまさゆき)、酒井忠勝(ただかつ)、松平信綱(のぶつな)ら徳川一門、元老および老中による集団指導のもとで、文治政治が行われ、幕政機構の整備とともに、この期に幕藩体制が確立された。世継ぎ問題を残したまま延宝(えんぽう)8年5月8日没。40歳。東叡山(とうえいざん)に葬る。法号は厳有院(げんゆういん)。正室は伏見宮(ふしみのみや)貞清親王の女(むすめ)（浅宮）。

［藤野　保］

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