Tokugawa Ietsugu

Tokugawa Ietsugu (Japanese徳 川 家 継; * August 8, 1709 in Edo - jo, † June 19, 1716 ), was from 1713 to 1716 the 7th shogun of the Edo period in Japan. He was in " office " four years old and died at seven years.

Journey

Tokugawa Ietsugu was born as the fourth son of Tokugawa Ienobu. He was the only surviving child after Daigoro was 1710 died 2 years old. His birth name was Nabematsu. His mother was the concubine Okiyo (1685-1752 ;お 喜世), the Gekko in (月光 院). She was since 1704 in shogunalen budget. After Ienobus death she had an affair with his secretary Manabe Akifusa ( 1667-1720 ). Contemporaries describe her as power hungry and dissolute.

After the death of his father, he followed in this 4 year April 1713 to office. The government transactions were carried on by the counselors of his predecessor, Manabe Akifusa and the Confucian Arai Hakuseki ( 1657-1725 ). 1714 new metal currency has been introduced. The incoming fall in prices for rice, lowered the income of the samurai vassals, who were paid in rice. Thus, the position of the warrior class against the emerging but despised merchant class was weakened in the long term.

For suppression of the smuggling trade was arranged in 1715 that in Kyushu incoming ships to be burned and their team had to kill.

Ietsugu died after about one month of illness. His grave is located in the Zōjō -ji ( Shiba ); him the name of Yusho -in was posthumously awarded. In a study in the reburial of his remains was found that his remains were decomposed up on hair and fingernails due to water penetration in his coffin. However, it could still find that he had the blood group A inherited from his mother.

The successor Yoshimune was selected from the Kii branch of the family.

Literature and sources

• Ramming, Martin ( ed.): Japan Guide. Berlin 1941.
• Berend Wispelwey (ed.): Japanese Biographical Archive. Munich 2007, ISBN 3-598-34014-1, Fiche 386