Tokugawa Iemitsu
| Tokugawa Iemitsu | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 3rd Edo shogun | |
|
In office 1623–1651 |
|
| Monarch |
Go-Mizunoo Meishō Go-Kōmyō |
| Preceded by | Tokugawa Hidetada |
| Succeeded by |
Shogun: Tokugawa Ietsuna |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 12, 1604 |
| Died | June 8, 1651 (aged 46) |
| Relations |
Father: Tokugawa Hidetada Mother: Oeyo |
| Children |
Chiyohime Tokugawa Ietsuna Tokugawa Tsunashige Tokugawa Tsunayoshi Tsurumatsu Others |
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光 August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651, and during this period he crucified Christians, expelled all Europeans from Japan and closed the borders of the country, a foreign politics policy that continued for over 200 years after its institution. It is debatable whether Iemitsu can be considered a kinslayer for making his younger brother Tadanaga commit suicide by seppuku. Iemitsu also had well-known homosexual preferences, and it is speculated he was the last direct male descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu, thereby ending the patrilineality of the shogunate by the third generation.
Tokugawa Iemitsu was born on 12 August 1604. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada and grandson of the last great unifier of Japan, the first Tokugawa Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the first member of the Tokugawa family born after Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun.
Not much is known of Iemitsu's early life; his childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). He had two sisters, Senhime and Masako, and a brother, who would become a rival, Tadanaga. Tadanaga was his parents' favorite. However, Ieyasu made it clear that Iemitsu would be next in line as shogun after Hidetada.
An obsolete spelling of his given name is Iyemitsu.
Iemitsu came of age in 1617 and dropped his childhood name in favor of Tokugawa Iemitsu. He also was installed officially as the heir to the Tokugawa shogunate. The only person to contest this position was his younger brother Tokugawa Tadanaga. A fierce rivalry began to develop between the brothers.
From an early age Iemitsu practiced the shūdō tradition. However, in 1620, he had a falling out with his homosexual lover, Sakabe Gozaemon, a childhood friend and retainer, aged twenty one, and murdered him as they shared a bathtub.
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