Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (徳 川 纲 吉jap; * February 23, 1646, † February 19, 1709 ) was the fifth shogun of the Japanese Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1680 to 1709 across the country.
Tsunayoshi was the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu and his concubine Keishōin (桂 昌 院; 1627-1705 ) was born. He was one of the great-grandson of the founder of the Tokugawa dynasty of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Unlike his older brother Ietsuna he was not brought up for political business. When the father died, went as planned Ietsuna as the fourth shogun of the dynasty of his office, but he died in 1680 at the age of 39 years. Since there was no son to succeed, Tsunayoshi rose after some disputes on the Shogun.
Despite his erudition, he soon proved to be power-conscious politicians. Sakai Tadakiyo, one of the mighty counselor Ietsunas, who had acted against his appointment, was replaced by Hotta Masatoshi, who received the rank of Taïro. Another, for mismanagement be incurred vassal was forced to commit seppuku and confiscated his fief. It should not have been the only case of a compound is rigid ethics of understanding and capital appreciation.
Already under Ietsuna attempts had been made in the second half of the sixties, etc. by restricting the import of luxury goods, banning the export of silver, by price regulations for woman kimono to stabilize the economic situation. These efforts to bring the situation under control, went under Tsunayoshi - with little success - further, here again the moral rigor pierced again and again. So in 1682, prostitution and female waitress in teahouses were banned. The following year, he exacerbated the Codex for the class of feudal lords ( Buke shohatto ). The Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi, had the Tokugawa regime introduced in an aggravated form of Korean scholars and further streamlined, was propagated under increasing Tsunayoshi. This went to annual lessons at the court, which he himself gave.
He also led some Shinto ceremonies at the court of Tenno in Kyoto again, were lost for financial reasons, for a time, and took action to repair the Tenno graves. By appointment of scholars and artists to Edo occurred during the so-called Genroku period to an upturn in the classical sciences and arts.
On the advice of the monks Ryuko (隆 光) out of the court exercised more than two decades as a spiritual advisor a big impact, he turned also to the protection of living beings. 1687 the mistreatment and killing of animals a "Law for the compassion for living creatures " (生類憐れみの令, Shōrui Awaremi no Rei) was prohibited under pain severe sanctions and adopted. Since he was born in the year of the dog, it was particularly the fate of stray dogs at heart, which he had to collect and provide what (犬 公 方, inu Kubo ) earned him the nickname "Dog Shogun".
Such measures strained the state budget by a further notice. Then there were fires, earthquakes, crop failures and poor balance of trade. Hotta Masatoshi already fell in 1684 assassinated. In its place Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu took over the affairs of state. This was in 1702, to get out of the predicament, melt the gold and silver coins and reduce the gold content of the newly-minted gold coins greatly, which ultimately also not a permanent solution.
The Lemgoer physician and traveler Engelbert Kaempfer learned Tsunayoshi on the occasion of two trips to Edo know that had to take the head of the Dutch trading post Dejima to bring the gratitude of the Dutch East India Company for permission to trade in Japan expressed as every year. According to the official Reverenzerweisung the oviduct factor Europeans were led into another room. Kaempfer describes Tsunayoshi as a somewhat eccentric ruler who maltreated him with all sorts of concern to song and dance demonstrations. Although no Shogun had before and arrange such meetings by Tsunayoshi, the scene remained with Kaempfer " Pickelhering dance " in the memory of European readership. She was processed repeatedly by writers and even considered by Goethe with a comment.
Kaempfer was the sharpness and rigidity of the rule Tsunayoshis not escaped during his two years in Japan. About Horses and dogs he is even a joke for the best, he had picked up by the Japanese. However, in his treatise on the Japanese seclusion policy Tsunayoshi comes off well as a guarantee of a harmonious and living in security company:
" The izt reigning monarch Tsinojos, ( a son of Ijetzna ) ... is a large and vortreflicher Lord, heir of his father's virtue, at the same time strict observer of the law and very gracious to his subjects. He is educated from an early age in the teaching of Confucius, and leads the scepter, as it is his people and country appropriate. Under him all citizens and the most perfect concord live, all men should honor their gods, obey the laws, following their superiors, proving their equals courtesy and love. "