20 Facts About Tokugawa Ienobu

Tokugawa Ienobu was the sixth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan.

Tokugawa Ienobu was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokugawa Ienobu was born as the oldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, daimyo of Kofu, in 1662.

However, after Tokugawa Ietsuna had died in 1680, and his other uncle, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi succeeded the bakufu, Tsunayoshi's failure to produce a male heir greatly increased the chances of Ienobu becoming shogun.

Nonetheless, for the time being, Tokugawa Ienobu was not being groomed to succeed to the shogunate but rather to succeed his father Tsunashige as daimyo of Kofu.

In 1678 Tokugawa Tsunashige died and Tokugawa Ienobu succeeded him as daimyo of Kofu.

Tokugawa Ienobu became very powerful there since his uncle was the shogun.

Hakuseki used to be a teacher in Edo, but was recommended by the philosopher Kinoshita Jun'an to become personal tutor to Tokugawa Ienobu and was summoned to Tokugawa Ienobu's Edo residence.

Until 1709, when Tokugawa Ienobu became shogun, it is thought that Hakuseki gave him 2000 lectures on the Chinese classics and Confucianism.

In genealogical terms, it would have appeared reasonable for the daimyo of Kofu, Tokugawa Ienobu, to be elevated to the role of shogun because he was the only remaining direct lineal descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The ultimate resolution of any questions about shogunal succession were probably influenced most effectively by the fact that Tokugawa Ienobu was the expressed preference of the late shogun Tsunayoshi's wife.

Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu immediately began to reform certain elements of Japanese society.

Tokugawa Ienobu started off by abolishing the controversial laws and edicts of Tsunayoshi.

Also, in 1710, Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu revised the Buke-Sho-Hatto, where language was improved.

Also, censorship was discontinued, and Tokugawa Ienobu told his subordinates that the thoughts and feelings of the populace should reach the high levels of the bakufu.

Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu was one of the first shoguns in centuries to actually try to significantly improve relations with the emperor and court in Kyoto.

Tokugawa Ienobu took the lead, but Motohiro appears to have asserted himself.

Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu died at the age of 51 in Shotoku 2, on the 14th day of the 10th month.

Tokugawa Ienobu was succeeded by his infant son, Tokugawa Ietsugu.

The years in which Tokugawa Ienobu was shogun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengo.