Tokugawa clan

The Tokugawa (Japanese徳 川 氏, -shi) is a Japanese Shogun dynasty, the Tokugawa shogunate (also Edo period, 1603-1868 ) founded. The Tokugawa Shogunate ( bakufu Japanese, literally the tent Government of the Shoguns ) increased its output by General Tokugawa Ieyasu, of Imagawa Yoshimoto and ally of Oda Nobunaga. The crest (mon ) of the Tokugawa shows three Haselwurz leaves in a circle.

After the death of Nobunaga, who had been attacked by Akechi Mitsuhide and his general had to commit seppuku, his ablest general, the former common soldier Toyotomi Hideyoshi had reached for the power that had held Nobunaga before. But Hideyoshi was not granted to the shogunate. He died, leaving only a minor son. Therefore, the resulting power vacuum was filled by Ieyasu. He had already served under Nobunaga and was an able commander. After Nobunaga's death he had, after both had once fought initially teamed up with Hideyoshi. Now After his death he attacked even after the power of the shogunate, he achieved after he had his worst adversary Ishida defeated in 1600 at the Battle of Sekigahara.

The rule of the Tokugawa was characterized above all by its very long history for the Japanese period. For over 200 years they were in power. The seat of government of the shogunate was in Edo, later Tōkyō. The Tokugawa ruled with an iron fist. They decreed that the daimyo, local rulers, a permanent residence in Edo entertained and there had to reside in a certain time. They also introduced the policy of seclusion in Japan, so as to stabilize their power. Unlike the Hōjō Shikken or the hapless Ashikaga Shoguns, the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown only when the Japanese back in 1868, turned towards the Meiji Restoration, the Tennō, the Emperor as ruler.

Current head of the family since 1963, Tokugawa Tsunenari.

Heads of families

Shoguns

Not Rulers

Other family members

• Munetake Tokugawa (1715-1771), Japanese poet

Secondary lines

• Gosanke
• Gosankyō
• Gokamon (御 家门)
• Matsudaira