Tokugawa Ieyasu

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life
Leadership of the Tokugawa
Conquest of the Hōjō
Mastery of Japan
Elimination of remaining rivals

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu in ornate robes holding a bow, with arrows on his back, at the Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko, Japan.

Ninomaru Goten Palace at Nijo Castle in Kyoto, featuring ornate wooden gables, decorative roof tiles, and manicured pine trees in front of the historic Azuchi-Momoyama-style building.

At a Glance

Tokugawa Ieyasu summary

Related Questions

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External Websites

The Tokugawa Art Museum - Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Path to Supreme Rule (PDF)
World History Encyclopedia - Tokugawa Ieyasu
USC U.S.-China Institute - The Empire of Things: Tokugawa Ieyasuï¿½s Material Legacy and Cultural Profile (PDF)

Tokugawa Ieyasu

shogun of Japan

Also known as: Matsudaira Motoyasu, Matsudaira Takechiyo

Written by

Conrad D. Totman

Emeritus Professor of History, Yale University. Author of Ieyasu: Shogun and others.

Conrad D. Totman

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 11, 2026 •History

Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Jan. 31, 1543, Okazaki, Japan—died June 1, 1616, Sumpu) was the founder of the last shogunate in Japan—the Tokugawa, or Edo, shogunate (1603–1867). Ieyasu was born into the family of a local warrior situated several miles east of modern Nagoya, one of many such families struggling to survive in a brutal age of endemic civil strife. His childhood was scarcely auspicious. His father, Matsudaira Hirotada, was involved in a network of shifting...

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