Tokugawa Ienari

The 11th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. The fourth son of Harusada, the second head of the Hitotsubashi family, one of the Gosankyo (three branches of the Tokugawa family). His mother was an Ofukunokata from the Iwamoto clan. He was born on October 5, 2nd year of An'ei (An'ei 2). His childhood name was Toyochiyo. In 1781 (Tenmei 1), he was adopted by the 10th Shogun Ieharu and moved to the Nishinomaru, where he was given the name Ienari. The following year, in 1782, he was promoted to Junior Second Rank Dainagon. In 1787, following the death of Ieharu the previous year, he became Shogun at just 15 years old. He expelled the previous powerful vassal Tanuma Okitsugu, rejected the chamberlain politics, and appointed Matsudaira Sadanobu, the lord of Shirakawa Domain, as the chief senior councilor. He carried out the Kansei Reforms, which focused on rebuilding peasant management and revitalizing rural areas. However, coupled with the strict control over customs, publications, and thought, discontent grew within the shogunate, and Sadanobu resigned following the Songo Incident and the Ogosho Incident. In his place, chamberlains from the Tanuma faction rose to power, and the so-called Ogosho era began. The extravagant and luxurious lifestyle of the Ooku gave birth to the culture of the Bunka and Bunsei periods (1804-1830), but bribery was once again rampant, power was corrupt, and the shogunate's finances became even more impoverished. Homelessness and gamblers were rampant, and the separation of rural areas progressed, but effective measures could not be taken against the great famine of the Tenpo years (1830-44), leading to a flurry of peasant uprisings and seditions, and in 1837 (Tenpo 8), the Oshio Heihachiro Rebellion broke out. In the same year, Ienari handed over the position of Shogun to his second son, Ieyoshi, but continued to hold real political power as the taikokusho. He died on the last day of leap year's New Year in the 12th year of Tenpo. He was 69 years old. He was buried at Toeizan. His posthumous name was Bunkyoin. His wife was the adopted daughter of the former Minister of the Right, Konoe Tsunehiro, but was actually the daughter (Tatako) of Shimazu Shigehide. He had many concubines, including Seishin'in, and is known for giving birth to 55 children.

[Fujino Tamotsu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府第11代将軍。御三卿(ごさんきょう)の一つ一橋(ひとつばし)家の2代治済(はるさだ)の四男。母は岩本氏で於富之方(おふくのかた)という。安永(あんえい)2年10月5日誕生。幼名は豊千代。1781年（天明1）10代将軍家治(いえはる)の養子となって西の丸に移り、家斉と命名。翌1782年従二位(じゅにい)大納言(だいなごん)。1787年、前年の家治の死去に伴い、わずか15歳で将軍となる。前代からの権臣田沼意次(たぬまおきつぐ)を排して側用人(そばようにん)政治を否定し、白河藩主松平定信(まつだいらさだのぶ)を老中首座として、本百姓経営の再建、農村復興を中心とした寛政(かんせい)の改革を断行した。しかし、風俗、出版、思想に対する厳しい統制と相まって、幕府内部に不満が充満し、尊号(そんごう)事件と大御所事件を契機に定信は退陣した。かわって田沼派の側用人が台頭し、いわゆる大御所時代が出現した。大奥の華美驕奢(きょうしゃ)な生活は文化・文政(ぶんかぶんせい)期（1804～30）の文化を生んだが、ふたたび賄賂(わいろ)が横行し、権力は腐敗、幕府財政はいっそう窮乏した。無宿者や博徒(ばくと)が横行し、農村分離は進行したが、天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～44）の大飢饉(だいききん)に有効な対策を打てず、百姓一揆(ひゃくしょういっき)、打毀(うちこわし)が激発、1837年（天保8）には大塩平八郎の乱が起こった。同年家斉は将軍職を二男家慶(いえよし)に譲ったが、なお大御所として政治の実権を握った。天保12年閏(うるう)正月晦日(みそか)没。69歳。東叡山(とうえいざん)に葬る。法号は文恭院(ぶんきょういん)。正室は近衛(このえ)前右大臣経煕(つねひろ)の養女、実は島津重豪(しげひで)の女(むすめ)（寔子(たたこ)）。勢真院以下多数の側室をもち、55人の子女を生ませたことで知られる。

［藤野　保］

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