Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese: 徳川家康 - とくがわいえやす

The first Shogun of the Edo Shogunate (in office 1603-1605). Born into a family of minor feudal lords in Mikawa (eastern Aichi Prefecture), he suffered hardships during his childhood as a hostage to the Imagawa clan, a feudal lord in the neighboring province of Suruga (Shizuoka Prefecture). However, after the Battle of Okehazama, he gained independence from the Imagawa clan and allied with Oda Nobunaga, expanding his territory to the three provinces of Suruga, Totomi (Shizuoka Prefecture), and Mikawa. After the Honnoji Incident, he quickly gained control of Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture) and Shinano (Nagano Prefecture), and fought against Hashiba Hideyoshi (Toyotomi Hideyoshi), refusing to give in an inch and eventually reaching a peace agreement. In 1590 (Tensho 18), he moved to the Kanto region and became a feudal lord with a fief of 2.5 million koku. After Hideyoshi's death, he won the Battle of Sekigahara, seized real power in Japan, became Shogun, and established a shogunate in Edo. Even after handing over the position of Shogun to his third son, Hidetada, and retiring to Sunpu (Shizuoka City), he continued to hold real power as a taiko, instigating the Siege of Osaka to destroy the Toyotomi clan, and solidifying the foundation for the Tokugawa clan's 265-year rule. After his death, he was enshrined in Nikko and revered as Tosho Daigongen, becoming a source of political authority throughout the Edo period.

[Akira Takagi]

The Imagawa Hostage Era

Ieyasu was born on December 26, 1531, in Okazaki Castle in Mikawa to Matsudaira Hirotada as his father and Mizuno Odai as his mother. His childhood name was Takechiyo. His given name was Motonobu, Motoyasu, and later Ieyasu. The head of the Matsudaira clan was a local lord in Matsudaira-go, Kamo-gun, Mikawa, and in the latter half of the 15th century, they expanded their branch line into the lower reaches of the Yahagi River. In the early 16th century, Hirotada's father, Kiyoyasu, became the lord of Okazaki Castle and exerted influence over the four western Mikawa counties of Kamo, Nukata, Aomi, and Hazu. However, due to internal strife, Kiyoyasu was assassinated and the clan's influence declined, and during Hirotada's time, it was under the protection of the neighboring Imagawa clan. However, Odai's older brother, Mizuno Nobumoto, the lord of Kariya Castle, rebelled against the Imagawa clan and betrayed Oda Nobuhide of Owari (western Aichi Prefecture), so Hirotada divorced Odai, and Takechiyo was separated from his mother at the age of three. When he was six years old and was being sent as a hostage to the Imagawa clan's Suruga, he was captured by the Oda clan and spent two years in Anjo Castle (Anjo City). At the age of eight, he was taken back by the Imagawa clan in a hostage exchange, and lived in Sunpu until he was 19, being called the "little son of Mikawa". It was during this time that he witnessed the Injiuchi (stone battle) on the Abe River and predicted the outcome of the battle, showing a glimpse of what he would become. At the age of 14, he came of age and was given the character for Imagawa Yoshimoto, taking the name Motonobu. At the age of 16, he married a daughter of the Imagawa clan (Tsukiyamadono). The following year, in 1558 (Eiroku 1), he fought his first battle. It was around this time that he changed his name to Motoyasu. Two years later, Yoshimoto began heading west to Kyoto, and on his orders he delivered military supplies to Otaka Castle, which was surrounded by the Oda clan. This is what is known as the "Otaka Castle military supply dump". Shortly afterwards, following Yoshimoto's sudden death in the Battle of Okehazama, Motoyasu, who had gained independence from the Imagawa clan, regained control of western Mikawa and allied with Nobunaga.

[Akira Takagi]

Allying with Nobunaga to prevent Shingen

In 1563 (Eiroku 6), Motoyasu, who had engaged his son Nobuyasu to Nobunaga's daughter, changed his name to Ieyasu and proclaimed to the world his severance from the Imagawa clan. The Mikawa Ikko Ikki uprising that occurred in the same year was serious, dividing Ieyasu and his followers, but was suppressed the following year. Ieyasu managed to strengthen his grip on his vassals, conquering eastern Mikawa as well and becoming the daimyo of the entire Mikawa province. In 1566, he received imperial permission to change his surname to Tokugawa and was appointed Mikawa no Kami (Lord of Mikawa) with the rank of Junior Fifth Rank. At the time, Takeda Shingen, who was allied with Nobunaga, invaded the Imagawa clan's territory of Suruga, and in 1568 Ieyasu occupied Totomi, and in 1570 (Genki 1) moved to Hikuma Castle in Totomi (Hamamatsu) as his base. In the same year, he participated in the Battle of Anegawa in Omi (Shiga Prefecture) to help Nobunaga, but by this time both Nobunaga and Ieyasu had dissolved their alliance with Shingen, and Ieyasu took on the role of preventing Takeda from advancing westward with his own body for Nobunaga, and was forced to make great sacrifices. His main achievements were a crushing defeat at the hands of Shingen in the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1572, a victory over Shingen's son Katsuyori in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575 (Tensho 3), and in 1579, he forced Nobuyasu, his eldest son with Tsukiyama-dono, to commit suicide on Nobunaga's orders, and Tsukiyama-dono was executed. In 1582, he was made to share the Suruga region in Nobunaga's strategy to attack the Takeda clan, and after the downfall of the Takeda clan, he was given the entire province of Suruga as a reward. Two months later, at the time of the Honnoji Incident, Ieyasu was in Sakai with a short retinue, and crossed the Kinki region, where law and order had been thrown into disarray following Nobunaga's death, rushing to Ise Shiroko (Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture) and returning by sea to Okazaki Castle. Ieyasu was protected on his return journey by local lords from Iga (Mie Prefecture), and it is said that it was due to this achievement that Iga samurai such as Hattori Hanzo were later promoted by the shogunate. After returning home, Ieyasu marched into Kai and Shinano, which had become vacant areas after Nobunaga's death, and within the year he had taken control of these two provinces.

Ieyasu, who thus came to rule over the five provinces of Suruga, Totomi, San, Ko, and Shinano, assisted Nobunaga's surviving son Nobukatsu in opposing Hashiba Hideyoshi, who had risen to prominence in the central government. In 1584, Ieyasu defeated Hideyoshi's forces in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, but a peace agreement was reached six months later. Ieyasu's second son, Ogimaru (Hideyasu), was adopted by Hideyoshi, and in 1586 Hideyoshi's younger sister, Princess Asahi, became Ieyasu's wife and went to Hamamatsu, and Hideyoshi's birth mother, Omandokoro, was sent to Okazaki as a hostage. Omandokoro was sent back to Osaka after less than a month in Okazaki when Ieyasu returned to Japan after receiving an audience with Hideyoshi, who had become regent the previous year, at Osaka Castle, and Asahihime died at Jurakudai in Kyoto in 1590. From then on, Ieyasu acted as a daimyo under Hideyoshi's government, and in 1589 he issued a seven-article document to the villages within his domain, stipulating taxes and labor services, and over the following year he conducted a Taiko land survey in five provinces, thus establishing civil administration in line with Hideyoshi's policies.

[Akira Takagi]

As the leader of the Five Elders

In 1590 (Tensho 18), Ieyasu participated as a vanguard in Hideyoshi's Odawara Conquest. After the downfall of the Hojo clan, he was given 2.5 million koku in the Kanto region, and entered Edo Castle on August 1st (Sakujitsu). Since then, "Hassaku" has become a special anniversary of Ieyasu's entry into Edo. The following year, he marched to Iwatesawa in Mutsu (Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture) to put down the rebellion of Kunohe Masazane. In the following year, 1592 (Bunroku 1), during the Bunroku Invasion, Ieyasu did not cross the sea, but was stationed in Nagoya, Hizen (Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture), and was absent from Edo for a year and a half. He seems to have been a cautious proponent of dispatching forces to Korea, as seen in his admonition against Hideyoshi's travel to Korea. In 1595, two documents signed by five great daimyo, including Ieyasu, Mori Terumoto, and Maeda Toshiie, were sent out to the various daimyo out of their joint names, outlining Hideyoshi's intentions regarding the prohibition of private marriages between daimyo and gangs. These were the prototypes of the later Five Elders, and Ieyasu was the leader of them. From this time onwards, he was stationed almost permanently in Fushimi, and the following year, in 1596 (Keicho 1), he was made Minister of the Interior with the second rank. Hideyoshi died in August 1598, entrusting the affairs of state to his son Hideyori and the Five Elders and Five Commissioners, but the first task for Ieyasu, the leader of these, was to bring an end to the Keicho War, which had already become a quagmire due to resistance from the Korean people, and this was also the wish of the mobilized feudal lords and people. Ieyasu, who kept Hideyoshi's death a secret and almost completed the withdrawal operation by the end of the year, became the center of the rallying of feudal lords against Ishida Mitsunari, one of the Five Commissioners, who tried to maintain and strengthen the regime by mobilizing samurai and people for war.

The Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, known as the "decisive battle for the nation," was a result of a combination of Hideyoshi's succession dispute, feelings toward Hideyori, and emotional friction between daimyo. However, the question raised by the battle was whether or not to continue the constant mobilization for wars that had existed during Hideyoshi's time. In this sense, the outcome was already decided before the battle. Ieyasu, who won the battle, carried out a nationwide movement of daimyo by February of the following year, which involved the confiscation of their territories and the reduction and increase of their fiefs. The prototype of the Edo period's daimyo allocation, which skillfully combined fudai and tozama, was created at this time, making it possible to maintain military tension and strengthen the system without starting a war. From then on, the excess energy of the daimyo was absorbed by mobilization for construction work, the first of which was the construction of Nijo Castle in Kyoto in 1602. However, Ieyasu's political position at this time was limited to being the head of the Five Elders entrusted to him by the late Hideyoshi, as one historical document from the time states, "Lord Daifu (Ieyasu) was the guardian of the world."

[Akira Takagi]

As Shogun

On February 12, 1603 (Keicho 8), Ieyasu received the imperial decree of shogun at Fushimi Castle, and thus acquired the traditional authority since Minamoto no Yoritomo to command and control the samurai throughout the country. This authority was the basis for the mobilization of daimyo to take part in the continuous construction work that began in March with the development of the city of Edo, and continued until the time of Iemitsu. He also forced the daimyo to build their residences in Edo, attend the castle, and have an audience with the shogun, which was a significant act that formalized their submission to the shogun. Furthermore, two years later, following Hideyoshi's example, he ordered the daimyo to submit maps of the provinces and Gozencho (land survey records), making it clear that submission to the shogun was not merely a private relationship of master and servant, but a national duty.

[Akira Takagi]

As a big shot

In the same year, 1605 (Keicho 10), Ieyasu handed over the position of Shogun to Hidetada, becoming Taigosho, and retired to Sunpu Castle two years later. It is believed that this was done to give Hidetada authority as Shogun and to prevent the family turmoil that was expected upon Ieyasu's death. Ieyasu's close associates included not only samurai, but also people from various fields, such as scholars such as Hayashi Razan, Konchiin Suden (Ishin Suden), Nakai Masakiyo, Chaya Shirojiro, and Adams (Miura Anjin), as well as monks, carpenters, and merchants. Ieyasu used them as advisors to decide on policies and, depending on the matter, had them act as intermediaries to communicate his intentions. The most important of these aides were Honda Masanobu and his son Masazumi, and Ieyasu placed the son Masazumi in Sunpu and the father Masanobu as a close aide to Hidetada in Edo, creating a framework in which important decisions were communicated to Hidetada through these two men and implemented. The Winter and Summer Sieges of Osaka in 1614 and 1615 (Keicho 19, Genna 1) were also initiated by Ieyasu's will, and all daimyo under Hidetada participated under Ieyasu's command. The incident involving the inscription on the bell at Hokoji Temple, which is well known as the cause of the Siege of Osaka, was merely the catalyst. The real cause was Toyotomi Hideyori's refusal to submit to the shogunate, having been demoted to the status of a daimyo after the Battle of Sekigahara, including his refusal to attend Edo.

[Akira Takagi]

As Tosho Daigongen

After destroying the Toyotomi clan in the Siege of Osaka, Ieyasu remained in Kyoto and enacted the "Kinchu Nare Naru Kuge Shohatto" (Laws for the Imperial Court and the Nobles) and the "Buke Shohatto" (Laws for the Samurai Class), before returning to Sunpu and passing away on April 17, 1621, at the age of 75. His posthumous name was Ankokuin. He was buried at Mount Kuno, and later reburied at Mount Nikko. Just before his death, he was appointed Daijo Daijin (Grand Minister of State). These laws were codified by having nobles, monks, and scholars collect and research Japanese and foreign classics, and Ieyasu himself received lectures from them, and their main purpose was to position the shogunate and feudal system on the ancient Japanese traditions of military government, particularly since Yoritomo, and the emperor was expected to play a role in ensuring the stability of the nation by acquiring religious and ritual knowledge handed down in the imperial household. Later, during the Kyoho Reforms, the eighth shogun, Yoshimune, advocated "restoring the age of Gongen-sama," and just as Ieyasu was posthumously bestowed the divine title of "Tosho Daigongen" by the emperor and enshrined at Nikko Toshosha Shrine (the shrine title was proclaimed in 1645), it is due to the character of the emperor as outlined in these "laws" that he was able to be a political fountainhead throughout the Edo period. On the other hand, this point was the Edo Shogunate's Achilles heel, and it was inevitable that the issue of the relationship between the Imperial Court and the Shogunate would lead to the Shogunate's collapse.

[Akira Takagi]

"Tokugawa Ieyasu" by Aizan Yamaji (1915, Dokuritsu Hyoronsha)" ▽ "Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Legend of Ieyasu by Takaya Nakamura (1965, Toshogu Shrine Office)" ▽ "Tokugawa Ieyasu" by Masamoto Kitajima (Chuko Bunko)"

Tokugawa Ieyasu
"Portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tenkai Seated Together" Partial replica owned by the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo © Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo ">

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa family (Shogun family) / Brief family tree
Note: In the diagram, biological children are indicated with | and adopted children with ‖ ©Shogakukan

Tokugawa family (Shogun family) / Brief family tree

Joinery and horse brand of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada
From the right, Tokugawa Ieyasu's flag, horse banner, Tokugawa Hidetada's flag, and large horse banner. "Goumajirushi" Volume 1, Kan'ei era (1624-1644), owned by the National Diet Library .

Joinery and horse brand of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada

Tokugawa Ieyasu's signature
©Shogakukan ">

Tokugawa Ieyasu's signature

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

江戸幕府初代将軍（在職1603～1605）。三河(みかわ)（愛知県東部）の小大名の家に生まれ、幼年時代は隣国駿河(するが)（静岡県）の大名今川(いまがわ)氏の人質となって苦労したが、桶狭間(おけはざま)の戦いののち今川氏から独立し、織田信長と同盟して駿河・遠江(とおとうみ)（静岡県）・三河3か国に所領を拡大した。本能寺の変ののちは、いち早く甲斐(かい)（山梨県）・信濃(しなの)（長野県）を手に入れ、羽柴秀吉(はしばひでよし)（豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)）と戦って一歩も譲らず和睦(わぼく)。1590年（天正18）関東に移って250万石の大大名となり、秀吉の死後は関ヶ原の戦いに勝って天下の実権を握り、将軍となって江戸に幕府を開いた。三男秀忠(ひでただ)に将軍職を譲って駿府(すんぷ)（静岡市）に引退してからも大御所として実権を離さず、大坂の陣を起こして豊臣氏を滅ぼし、徳川氏政権265年間の基礎を固めた。死後は日光に祀(まつ)られて東照大権現(とうしょうだいごんげん)と崇(あが)められ江戸時代を通じて政治的権威の源泉となった。

［高木昭作］

今川の人質時代

家康は、天文(てんぶん)11年12月26日、松平広忠(まつだいらひろただ)を父とし水野氏於大の方(おだいのかた)を母として三河岡崎城内で生まれた。幼名は竹千代(たけちよ)。名は元信(もとのぶ)、元康(もとやす)、のち家康。松平氏宗家は、三河加茂(かも)郡の松平郷の土豪で15世紀の後半に矢作(やはぎ)川の下流域に一族庶流を進出させた。16世紀初めには広忠の父清康(きよやす)が岡崎城主となって加茂・額田(ぬかた)・碧海(あおみ)・幡豆(はず)の西三河4郡に勢力を振るったが、内訌(ないこう)から清康が暗殺されて以来衰え、広忠のころは隣国の今川氏の庇護(ひご)下に置かれていた。ところが於大の方の兄の刈谷(かりや)城主水野信元(のぶもと)が今川氏に背いて尾張(おわり)（愛知県西部）の織田信秀(のぶひで)に通じたので、広忠は於大の方を離別し、竹千代は3歳で母と別れることとなった。6歳のとき人質として今川氏の駿府に送られる途中、織田方に捕らわれ安祥(あんじょう)城（安城市）で2年間を過ごした。8歳のとき人質交換で今川氏に取り返され、19歳までを「三河の小せがれ」とよばれながら駿府で過ごすが、安倍(あべ)川の印地打(いんじうち)（石合戦）を見て勝負を予言し将来の片鱗(へんりん)をみせたのはこの間のエピソードである。14歳のとき元服し今川義元の一字を与えられて元信と名のり、16歳で今川氏一門の女(むすめ)（築山殿(つきやまどの)）と婚姻。翌1558年（永禄1）初陣。このころに元康と改名。翌々年上洛(じょうらく)のため西上を開始した義元の命令で、織田方に包囲された大高(おおたか)城に兵粮(ひょうろう)を搬入。世にいう大高城兵粮入れである。直後の桶狭間の戦いでの義元の頓死(とんし)により、今川氏から独立した元康は西三河の支配を回復し、信長と同盟した。

［高木昭作］

信長と結び信玄を防ぐ

1563年（永禄6）、子の信康(のぶやす)と信長の女(むすめ)との婚約を成立させた元康は家康と改名、今川氏との絶縁を天下に宣言した。この年に発生した三河一向一揆(いっこういっき)は、家康主従をも分裂させる深刻なものであったが翌年には鎮圧。かえって家臣の把握を強固にした家康は東三河をも制圧し三河一国の大名となり、1566年勅許を得て徳川と改姓し従(じゅ)五位下三河守(かみ)に叙任された。そのころは信長と同盟関係にあった武田信玄が今川氏の領国駿河に侵入したのを機に、1568年家康は遠江を占領、1570年（元亀1）遠江引馬(ひくま)（浜松）城に移って本拠とした。同年の近江(おうみ)（滋賀県）姉川(あねがわ)の戦いに信長を助けて出陣したが、このころには信長・家康ともに信玄との同盟を解消し、家康は信長のために身をもって武田の西上を防ぐ役割を担い、大きな犠牲を払わされた。1572年の三方ヶ原(みかたがはら)の戦いで信玄に惨敗し、1575年（天正3）の長篠(ながしの)の戦いで信玄の子勝頼(かつより)と戦って勝利し、さらに1579年信長の命により築山殿との間にもうけた長子信康を自殺させ築山殿を処刑したことなどがその主要なものである。1582年信長の武田氏攻略作戦では駿河方面を分担させられ、同氏滅亡後に恩賞として駿河一国を与えられた。2か月後の本能寺の変のとき、わずかの供回りで堺(さかい)に滞在中であった家康は、信長の死で治安の乱れた近畿地方を横断して伊勢白子(いせしろこ)（三重県鈴鹿(すずか)市）に急行し海路岡崎城に帰った。この帰路の家康を守ったのが伊賀（三重県）の土豪たちで、後年服部半蔵(はっとりはんぞう)など伊賀者が幕府に取り立てられたのは、このときの功によるとされている。帰国した家康は、信長死後空白地帯となった甲斐・信濃に出陣し、年内にはこの2か国を手中にした。

　こうして駿・遠・三・甲・信5か国を領有した家康は、信長の遺子信雄(のぶかつ)を助けて、中央で頭角を現した羽柴秀吉と対抗し、1584年小牧(こまき)・長久手(ながくて)の戦いで秀吉軍を破ったが、半年後に和議が成立。家康の次男於義丸(おぎまる)（秀康(ひでやす)）が秀吉の養子となり、1586年秀吉の妹朝日(あさひ)姫が家康の正室となって浜松に行き、また秀吉生母の大政所(おおまんどころ)が人質として岡崎に下向した。なお大政所は、家康が大坂城で前年に関白となった秀吉に謁して帰国したのを機に、岡崎滞在1月足らずで大坂に帰され、朝日姫は1590年京都聚楽第(じゅらくだい)で没している。以後の家康は、秀吉政権下の一大名として行動し、1589年に7か条の定書(さだめがき)を領内の村々に公布して年貢や夫役(ぶやく)について規定し、また翌年にかけて5か国に太閤検地(たいこうけんち)を行うなど秀吉の方針に沿って民政を整備した。

［高木昭作］

五大老の筆頭として

1590年（天正18）秀吉の小田原征伐に先鋒(せんぽう)として参陣した家康は、北条氏滅亡後の関東で250万石を与えられ、8月1日（朔日(さくじつ)）江戸城に入った。これ以来「八朔(はっさく)」は家康江戸打入(うちいり)の特別の記念日となった。翌年には九戸政実(くのへまさざね)の乱鎮定のため陸奥(むつ)岩手沢（宮城県大崎(おおさき)市）に出陣。翌1592年（文禄1）の文禄(ぶんろく)の役では、渡海はしなかったが肥前名護屋(なごや)（佐賀県唐津(からつ)市）に駐留、1年半にわたって江戸を留守にした。秀吉の渡鮮を諫止(かんし)するなど、朝鮮出兵そのものには慎重論者だったようである。1595年、家康・毛利輝元(もうりてるもと)・前田利家(まえだとしいえ)など5人の大大名の連名で、大名間の私婚、徒党の禁止などに関する秀吉の意向を記した文書2通が諸大名に通達された。後の五大老の原型であるが、家康はその筆頭であった。このころから伏見(ふしみ)に常駐に近い状態となり、翌1596年（慶長1）正二位内大臣。1598年8月秀吉は遺児秀頼(ひでより)と天下の政事を五大老と五奉行(ごぶぎょう)に託して死んだが、その筆頭の家康の最初の課題は、朝鮮人民の抵抗ですでに泥沼に落ち込んでいた慶長(けいちょう)の役を終わらせることにあり、それは動員された諸大名や人民の願いでもあった。秀吉の死を秘して撤退作戦を年内にほぼ完了させた家康は、武士と人民を戦争に動員することで体制の維持強化を図った五奉行の一人石田三成(いしだみつなり)に反対する諸大名の結集の中心となった。

　1600年の「天下分け目」といわれた関ヶ原の戦いは秀吉の跡目争い、秀頼に対する心情、大名間の感情的軋轢(あつれき)などが絡み合って起きたものであるが、実は戦いによって問われたのは、秀吉時代の絶え間ない戦争への動員路線を続けるのかどうか、という問題であり、この意味で、勝敗は戦いの前からすでについていたのであった。この戦いに勝利した家康は翌年2月ころまでに所領の没収、減封(げんぽう)・加封(かほう)を伴う諸大名の全国的な大移動を断行した。譜代(ふだい)と外様(とざま)を巧みに組み合わせる江戸時代の大名配置の原型はこのときにできあがり、これによって、戦争を起こすことなく軍事的緊張を維持し、体制を強固にすることが可能となった。以後、諸大名の余分なエネルギーは普請役(ふしんやく)への動員によって吸収されるが、その最初は1602年の京都二条城の造営であった。しかし、このころの家康の政治上の立場は、当時のある史料が「内府(だいふ)（家康）公、世間を後見」と述べているように、亡き秀吉に依託された五大老の筆頭という限界にとどまっていた。

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征夷大将軍として

1603年（慶長8）2月12日、家康は伏見城で任将軍の宣旨(せんじ)を受け、全国の武家を指揮統轄する源頼朝(みなもとのよりとも)以来の伝統的な権限を手中にした。3月に始められた江戸市街地造成を手始めに家光(いえみつ)のころまで続いた間断ない普請役への諸大名の動員は、この権限に基づいている。また諸大名が江戸に屋敷を構え参勤して登城し、将軍に拝謁することを強要したが、これは将軍への服属を形に表す意味をもつ重大な行為であった。さらに翌々年、秀吉に倣って国絵図と御前帳(ごぜんちょう)（検地帳）の提出を諸大名に命じたことは、将軍への服従が単に私的な主従関係によるのではなく、国家的な義務であることを明確にする意味をもっていた。

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大御所として

同じ1605年（慶長10）家康は将軍職を秀忠(ひでただ)に譲って大御所となり、2年後に駿府城に引退した。秀忠に将軍としての権威をつけさせ、家康死亡時に予想される御家騒動を未然に防止する意図によったと考えられる。家康の側近には武士だけでなく、林羅山(はやしらざん)、金地院崇伝(こんちいんすうでん)（以心崇伝）、中井正清、茶屋四郎次郎(ちゃやしろうじろう)、アダムズ（三浦按針(みうらあんじん)）などの学者、僧侶(そうりょ)、大工頭梁(とうりょう)、商人などさまざまの分野の人物が集まっており、家康は彼らを顧問として政策を決定し、事柄によっては彼らを取次ぎとして意思伝達にあたらせていた。これらの側近の第一人者が本多正信(ほんだまさのぶ)・正純(まさずみ)父子であったが、大御所家康は子の正純を駿府に、父の正信を江戸の秀忠側近に置き、重要な決定はこの2人を通じて秀忠に伝えられ、施行される枠組みをつくった。1614、1615年（慶長19、元和1）の大坂冬・夏の陣も家康の意思で起こされ、秀忠以下の全大名が家康の統率のもとに参陣した。大坂の陣の原因としてよく知られている方広寺(ほうこうじ)の鐘銘事件(しょうめいじけん)は単なるきっかけにすぎず、真の原因は、江戸への参勤を拒否するなど、関ヶ原の戦い後一大名の地位に落とされた豊臣秀頼が幕府への服従を拒否した点にあった。

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東照大権現として

大坂の陣で豊臣氏を滅ぼした家康は引き続いて京都にとどまり「禁中並公家諸法度(きんちゅうならびにくげしょはっと)」（禁中并公家中諸法度）「武家諸法度(ぶけしょはっと)」を制定したのち駿府に帰り、元和(げんな)2年4月17日、75歳で没した。法号安国院。久能山(くのうざん)に葬り、のち日光山に改葬。死の直前に太政大臣(だいじょうだいじん)に任じられている。これらの法度は、公家、僧侶、学者などに内外の古典を収集・調査させ、家康自身も彼らから講義を受けて成文化したもので、日本古来の、とくに頼朝(よりとも)以来の武家政権の伝統のうえに、幕藩体制を位置づけることを主眼としており、天皇も皇室に伝わる宗教的・儀式的知識を身につけて国家を安泰にする役割を要請されている。後世、享保(きょうほう)の改革に際して8代将軍吉宗(よしむね)が「権現様の時代を再現する」と唱えたように、死後に天皇から「東照大権現(とうしょうだいごんげん)」の神号を勅授され日光東照社（宮号宣下は1645年）に祀(まつ)られた家康が、江戸時代を通じて政治的源泉となりえたのも、この「法度」に示された天皇の性格に起因している。反面、この点に江戸幕府のアキレス腱(けん)があり、朝幕問題が幕府崩壊の原因となったのはやむをえないところであった。

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『山路愛山著『徳川家康』（1915・独立評論社）』▽『中村孝也著『徳川家康公伝』（1965・東照宮社務所）』▽『北島正元著『徳川家康』（中公文庫）』