Tokugawa Iemochi

The 14th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. The eldest son of Tokugawa Nariyuki, the 11th feudal lord of Kishu (son of Shogun Ienari). Born on May 24, leap year 3 of the Koka era, at the Edo residence of the domain in Akasaka. His childhood name was Kikuchiyo, and he later called himself Yoshitomi. He was adopted by the 12th feudal lord, Narikatsu (Nariyuki's younger brother), and inherited the family headship at the age of 4 in 1849 (Kaei 2). He was considered a candidate to oppose Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, who was supported by the Hitotsubashi faction, in the issue of the succession to the Shogun, and a fierce political battle unfolded involving the issue of imperial charter for treaties. In the end, in 1858 (Ansei 5), Ii Naosuke, a member of the Nanki faction who supported Yoshitoshi, was appointed as the chief advisor and was designated the successor. In the same year, upon the death of Tokugawa Iesada, he succeeded to the position of shogun and changed his name to Iemochi.

After the sudden death of Chief Minister Ii in the Sakuradamon Incident, through the machinations of senior councilors Kuze Hirochika and Ando Nobumasa, in 1862 (Bunkyu 2), he married Emperor Komei's younger sister, Princess Kazunomiya, and attempted to restore the power of the shogunate by uniting the imperial court and the military. However, in the same year, Shimazu Hisamitsu led his troops to the capital, and Hisamitsu and the imperial envoy Ohara Shigetomi traveled east, forcing him to reform the shogunate government. He appointed Yoshinobu as guardian of the shogun and Matsudaira Yoshinaga as chief political officer. The following year, in 1863, he broke with tradition and went to Kyoto himself, hoping to restore the shogunate's authority, but the Imperial Court was under the control of the Sonno Joi faction, and he was forced to accompany the Imperial visit to Kamo Shrine to pray for the expulsion of foreigners. However, he firmly refused to accompany the Imperial visit to Iwashimizu Shrine in April, and returned east. After that, the faction for the union of the Imperial Court and the Shogunate regained power in the political upheaval of August 18, and he went to Kyoto again in 1864 (Genji 1). Then, after the First Choshu Expedition, the Choshu clan showed signs of preparing to resist again, which led to the Second Choshu Expedition, and after a third visit to Kyoto in 1865 (Keio 1), he entered the headquarters of the Choshu Expeditionary Army in Osaka Castle. The war with the Choshu clan broke out in June of the following year, and as news of the Shogunate's defeat continued to spread, he died of an illness in his castle on July 20th at the age of 21. His posthumous name was Shotokuin.

[Katsuo Inoue]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府第14代将軍。紀州11代藩主徳川斉順(なりゆき)（将軍家斉の子）の長子。弘化(こうか)3年閏(うるう)5月24日、赤坂の江戸藩邸に生まれる。幼名菊千代、のち慶福(よしとみ)と称す。12代藩主斉彊(なりかつ)（斉順の弟）の養子となり、1849年（嘉永2）4歳で家督を継いだ。将軍継嗣(けいし)問題で一橋(ひとつばし)派の推す一橋慶喜(よしのぶ)に対抗する候補とされ、条約勅許問題と絡んだ激しい政争が展開した。結局、1858年（安政5）慶福を推す南紀派の井伊直弼(いいなおすけ)が大老に就任したのち、継嗣と定まり、同年徳川家定(いえさだ)の死去により将軍職を継ぎ、家茂と改めた。

　桜田門外の変による井伊大老横死ののち、老中久世広周(くぜひろちか)、安藤信正(あんどうのぶまさ)らの画策により、1862年（文久2）孝明(こうめい)天皇の妹和宮(かずのみや)を夫人に迎え、公武合体による幕府権力の回復を計ったが、同年の島津久光(しまづひさみつ)の率兵(そっぺい)上京、久光と勅使大原重徳(おおはらしげとみ)の東下によって幕政改革を迫られ、慶喜を将軍後見職に、松平慶永(まつだいらよしなが)を政事総裁職に迎えた。翌1863年、慣例を破り、自ら上洛(じょうらく)、幕権回復を計ったが、朝廷は尊王攘夷(じょうい)派の勢力下にあり、攘夷祈願の賀茂社(かもしゃ)行幸に供奉(ぐぶ)させられた。しかし4月の石清水社(いわしみずしゃ)行幸には随行を固辞して東帰した。その後、八月十八日の政変によって公武合体派が勢力を回復し、1864年（元治1）再度上洛した。ついで、長州藩が、第一次長州征伐ののちにふたたび抗戦の構えをみせたため、第二次の長州征伐となり、1865年（慶応1）三たびの上洛ののち、大坂城の征長軍本営に入った。翌年6月に開戦された長州藩との戦争に、幕軍敗戦の報が相次ぐうちに、7月20日、21歳で城中に病死した。法号昭徳院。

［井上勝生］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例