Tokugawa Ieyoshi

The 12th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. The second son of the 11th Shogun, Ienari. His childhood name was Toshijiro. He succeeded to the position of Shogun in 1837 (Tenpo 8), but during Ienari's reign, real power was held by Ienari's ogosho politics. After Ienari's death in 1841, he appointed senior councilor Mizuno Tadakuni as the head of the Shogunate and carried out reforms to the Shogunate (Tenpo Reforms). However, the reforms were too rapid and too strict in many areas, which caused him to lose the support of the people, and Tadakuni was ousted after just over two years. He then appointed Abe Masahiro as the head senior councilor and adopted a flexible policy toward the reformist forces of the powerful domains, which laid the groundwork for the powerful domain alliance movement at the end of the Edo period. When Perry arrived in Japan in June 1853 (Kaei 6), he was bedridden and passed away leaving foreign affairs in the hands of Masahiro and Tokugawa Nariaki, the lord of the Mito domain.

[Katsuo Inoue]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府第12代将軍。11代将軍家斉(いえなり)の二男。幼名敏次郎。1837年（天保8）将軍職を継いだが、家斉在世中は家斉の大御所政治に実権を握られた。1841年、家斉の死後、老中水野忠邦(みずのただくに)を首座に任用して幕政の改革を行った（天保(てんぽう)の改革）。しかし、改革は急激にして、また各方面に厳格にすぎたため人心を失い、忠邦は2年余で失脚した。その後、阿部正弘(あべまさひろ)を老中首座に起用し、有力諸藩の改革派勢力に対して柔軟な路線を採用したため、幕末の雄藩連合運動の素地をつくることとなった。1853年（嘉永6）6月のペリー来航に際しては病床にあり、外交を正弘と水戸藩主徳川斉昭(なりあき)に任せて死去した。法号慎徳院。

［井上勝生］

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