Yoshinobu Tokugawa (Ώμcμ1837|1913)
 |
15th and last Tokugawa Shogun. He became Shogun during the tumultuous times of Meiji Restoration and carried out the restoration of imperial rule.
Candidate to become the 14th Shogun
Yoshinobu Tokugawa was born in one of the three Tokugawa family branches, the Mito branch. 7th son of 9th Mito Lord Nariaki Tokugawa, he was much appreciated by 12th Shogun Ieyoshi Tokugawa (ΏμΖcin office between 1837 and 1853) and succeeded to the top of the Hitotsubashi Tokugawa branch, one of the Gosankyo families (δO¨) .
When Shogun succession problems arose, he was pushed forward as one of the candidates. This became a major political issue along with the pact signature with the Americans. In 1858, the Japan-America Commerce Treaty was ratified and Yoshitomi Tokugawa (Ώμc) from the Kishuu branch (IBΏμΖ) was appointed to Shogun. After the treaty enforcement happened in what was called the Ansei era round-up, Treaty opponents, Hitotsubashi factions as well as Yoshinobu were disposed and forced to spend a life of confinement in their homes.
Gaining rights as a Shogun aide
Yoshinobu Hitosubashi's restoration of rights was done in 1862 through pressure on the Imperial Court. He regained the head of the Hitotsubashi family and was appointed as the Shogun's close assistant. In 1864, he was made the head supervisor of the Imperial Palace's doorkeepers.
The same year, due to this rehabilitation of rights, the Choushuu domain (·BΛ, today Yamaguchi Prefecture) sent a rebellion army towards Kyoto, and during the armed conflict of Hamaguri Gate, (Έδεor Hamagurigomon, one of Kyoto's Imperial Garden's Western Gates) Yoshinobu was the resistance leader.
After this rebellion, it was decided that 2 punitive expeditions would be carried out against the Choushuu domain in 1864 and 1865. 1865 was also the year when the different Treaty ratifying countries required a Charter from the Imperial Court. Because of this Treaty and Charter issue, the second punitive expedition was delayed. During the battle that started in June the following year, the Shogunate recorded successive defeats and Shogun Iemochi Tokugawa (ΏμΖΞ) died from disease in his Ōsaka castle at the young age of 21.
Shogun Yoshinobu
To almost everyone, Yoshinobu was unquestionably competent as the role of 15th Shogun. However, he firmly declined it at first. Yoshinobu, who nevertheless accepted to succeed as the head of the Tokugawa family became the 15th Shogun in December after being solicited by shogunate brains. In the meantime, he got the imperial order to proceed with the withdrawing and disbanding of the Seichogun troops from what is nowadays Yamaguchi Prefecture, for the shogunate's own preservation after suffering too many defeats there.
Since assuming the post of Shogun, Yoshinobu set out on a series of political reforms leading towards the strengthening of the shogunate's authority.
He revised the parliamentary system based on the apportionment of duties to members of the shogun's council of elders, and assigned talented vassals to positions that could only be occupied by daimyos (εΌ or feudal lord). He gave up the old military recruitment system according to rice crop yields and adopted a conventional forces system inspired by the French. He persistently posed himself as the ultimate leading administrator and Shogun towards foreign countries, and to prove it decided to have a land twice as big as the Imperial Court. These two reforms totally took the anti-shogunate rebels by surprise.
Restoration of imperial rule
Yoshinobu was striving for a stronger shogunate. However, there was no domain wishing for a despotic shogunate anymore and anti-shogun rebels were actively maneuvering in order to sweep away the influential shogunate and the Tokugawa family, giving back at the same time administrative powers to the Imperial Court ("The Restoration").
In October 1867, Yoshinobu both submitted his resignation and announced the return of imperial rule, an idea originally proposed by former Tosa domain (now Kouchi Prefecture) lord, Youdou Yamauchi (Rΰe°) .
Anti-shogunate rebels performed a political coup to bring back the imperial regime and to counter-attack Yoshinobu's initiatives, organized a Court-based administration centered on imperial noble rebels and most influential clan leaders. All this eventually led to the issuance of the great "Imperial Rule Restoration" word of command in December 1867. The first meetings were held at once by the anti-shogunate rebels in the Old Imperial Palace. Finally, the President and leader of the government was decided, the protocol was adopted and personnel were recruited. Then the famous Battle of Toba-Fushimi (1868) happened.
The Battle of Toba-Fushimi
During this battle, the Shogun forces were inferior in equipment and training. After a great defeat, they had to retreat to Ōsaka castle. Recovery in the Kinki area (Ōsaka, Kyoto and Nara) was nearly impossible. As Yoshinobu had become a enemy to the Court, all domain leaders chose the imperial side. Yoshinobu tried everything in his power to make a comeback and returned to Edo on a battleship.
However, the new government's army, that had in the meantime absorbed in its ranks soldiers from other domains, was progressing at a fast pace and was drawing near to the suburbs of Edo only 2 months after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Then, through talks with Katsu Saigo (Ό½) , Edo Castle was opened in April 1868, Yoshinobu retreated to Mito and was put under house arrest in the Koudoukan (OΉΩ) . This is the point that people talk about as the actual termination of the shogunate.
He moved to Suruga area (xΝ, South of Mount Fuji) and came back to the capital (Edo had become Tōkyō at the time) in 1897, or on the 30th year of Meiji era. In 1908, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Meiji administration for his achievements for the Imperial Rule.
