- Original name:
- Tokugawa Keiki
- Born:
- Oct. 28, 1837, Edo, Japan
- Died:
- Jan. 22, 1913, Tokyo (aged 75)
- Notable Family Members:
- father Tokugawa Nariaki
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
-
Who was Tokugawa Yoshinobu?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (born in Edo, Japan, on October 28, 1837, and died in Tokyo on January 22, 1913) was the last Tokugawa shogun of Japan. He played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration (1868), ensuring a relatively peaceful transition that overthrew the shogunate and restored power to the emperor.
Yoshinobu, also known as Keiki, was born into the ruling Tokugawa family. He became shogun in 1866 and made efforts to get French assistance. Bowing to increasing pressure, he agreed to give up his powers in 1867, anticipating being an equal in the new power structure. However, leaders from Satsuma and Chōshū acted first, and radical samurai took control of the palace in Kyoto on January 3, 1868, proclaiming an Imperial restoration.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What does the term "shogun" mean in Japanese history?
In Japanese history, shogun refers to a military ruler. The title was initially used during the Heian period and given to a general after a successful military campaign. Minamoto Yoritomo gained military control of Japan in 1185, later assuming the title of shogun and forming the first bakufu, or shogunate.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1837-1913) was the last Tokugawa shogun of Japan. He helped make the Meiji Restoration, which overthrew the shogunate and restored power to the emperor, a relatively peaceful transition.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Tokugawa Yoshinobu known as the last shogun of Japan?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, also known as Keiki, was the last shogun of Japan because he was the final military ruler of the Tokugawa shogunate, which held power from 1603 to 1867. Yoshinobu's relinquishing of power in 1867 paved the way for the Meiji Restoration, which nominally restored direct imperial rule under Emperor Meiji. Although Yoshinobu initially agreed to accept the coup, his advisors resisted, leading to a brief civil war that ended with his surrender to imperial forces in 1869.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What changes happened in Japan during Tokugawa Yoshinobu’s rule?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Tokugawa shogun, strived to harmonize the Imperial court and shogun. In 1862, he was appointed guardian to the new shogun and introduced reforms to give great lords a voice in decision-making.
Yoshinobu faced increasing pressure to expel foreigners, agreeing to this in 1863, but criticism rose when no action was taken. In 1864, he led a punitive expedition against the Chōshū fiefdom, but a second expedition in 1866 failed due to a lack of support from other lords.
Ascending to shogun in 1866, he sought French aid but eventually surrendered power in 1867, anticipating a role in the new government. Radical samurai seized the palace, declaring an Imperial restoration. Though Yoshinobu accepted the coup, conflict ensued, ending with his surrender and retirement.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Tokugawa Yoshinobu’s resignation affect the Tokugawa shogunate?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu's resignation in 1867 was a pivotal moment, effectively ending the Tokugawa shogunate and the Edo period. Though Yoshinobu expected to maintain influence, Satsuma and Chōshū leaders seized the opportunity, declaring an Imperial restoration on January 3, 1868. This led to a brief civil war, ending with Yoshinobu's surrender to imperial forces in June 1869. The Meiji Restoration marked a dramatic shift, modernizing and Westernizing Japan.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What role did Tokugawa Yoshinobu play in the Meiji Restoration and Japan’s modernization?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Tokugawa shogun of Japan, played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration, facilitating a relatively peaceful transition of power.
Appointed shogun in 1866, Yoshinobu attempted to secure French aid amidst rising pressure to surrender his powers. In 1867, he agreed to relinquish his authority, anticipating a prominent position in the new government. However, radical samurai seized the palace in Kyoto, declaring an Imperial restoration on January 3, 1868.
Despite agreeing to the coup's outcome, his advisors resisted, leading to a brief civil war. Yoshinobu ultimately surrendered Edo, the shogunal capital, to Imperial forces and retired to Mito. Later pardoned, he received the rank of prince in 1902.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (born Oct. 28, 1837, Edo, Japan—died Jan. 22, 1913, Tokyo) was the last Tokugawa shogun of Japan, who helped make the Meiji Restoration (1868)—the overthrow of the shogunate and restoration of power to the emperor—a relatively peaceful transition.
Born into the ruling Tokugawa family, Keiki was the son of Tokugawa Nariaki, who was the head of the feudal fief of Mito. The Hitotsubashi family, a Tokugawa branch that, like the Mito extension, was eligible to succeed to the shogunate, had no male heirs during this period. Thus, when Keiki, seventh son of Nariaki, was adopted into the Hitotsubashi family, he greatly increased his chance to succeed to the shogunate. When the shogun Tokugawa Iesada died without heir in 1858, Nariaki attempted to push his son’s candidacy as a way of implementing his own reformist policies. A more moderate group prevailed, however, and an infant boy (Tokugawa Iemochi) was chosen as the new shogun. Keiki and his father, along with other radicals, were forced into domiciliary confinement.
The government’s policy of granting trading concessions to the West, however, soon aroused strong opposition and brought about renewed demands that the shogun yield some of his power to the emperor. In 1862 the government was finally forced to accept a compromise in which Keiki was appointed guardian to the new shogun.
Keiki immediately moved to introduce reforms to bring the Imperial court and the shogun into closer harmony and allow the great lords to have some voice in the decision-making processes. Under pressure he agreed to expel all foreigners from the country on June 25, 1863. When that day passed with no action, however, criticism of the shogunate again increased.
In 1864 the radical rulers of the fief of Chōshū openly defied the central government, and Keiki successfully mounted a punitive expedition. After the forces of the shogunate withdrew, however, in 1865, the radicals again assumed power in Chōshū. A second expedition against the fief the following year was defeated, because many of the great lords, alienated by Keiki’s attempts to reassert his authority at their expense, refused to come to his aid. Although the sudden death of the shogun, Iemochi, allowed Keiki to withdraw his troops and save face, the weakness of the shogunal forces was obvious.
Elevated to shogun in 1866, as Tokugawa Yoshinobu, he made a desperate effort to obtain French aid. As pressure increased he agreed to surrender his powers in 1867, expecting to be the first among equals in any new power structure that emerged. Satsuma and Chōshū leaders, however, decided to move first; on Jan. 3, 1868, a group of radical samurai seized the palace in Kyōto and declared an Imperial restoration. Although Yoshinobu agreed to accept the results of the coup, his advisers refused, and a short civil war ensued. When the Imperial forces marched on the shogunal capital at Edo (now Tokyo), Yoshinobu finally forced his troops to surrender. Yoshinobu himself was allowed to retire to Mito. Later pardoned, he was granted the rank of prince in 1902.