Tokugawa Yoshitomi
| Tokugawa Iemochi | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 14th Edo Shogun | |
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In office August 14, 1858 – August 29, 1866 |
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| Monarch | Emperor Kōmei |
| Preceded by | Tokugawa Iesada |
| Succeeded by | Tokugawa Yoshinobu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 17, 1846 Minato,Edo, Japan |
| Died | August 29, 1866 (aged 20) Osaka Castle, Japan |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Kazu |
Tokugawa Iemochi (徳川 家茂?) (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of Japan's first major contact with the United States, which occurred under Commodore Perry in 1853 and 1854, and of the subsequent "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. Iemochi's reign also saw a weakening of the shogunate.
Iemochi, known in his childhood as Kikuchiyo, was the eldest son of the 11th generation Wakayama Domain lord Tokugawa Nariyuki (1801–1846) with his wife known as jitsujoin and was born in the domain's residence in Edo (modern-day Minato-ku in Tokyo). Nariyuki was a younger son of the 11th shogun, Tokugawa Ienari.
In 1847, at age 1, he was adopted as the heir of the 12th generation daimyo Tokugawa Narikatsu, and succeeded him in 1850, taking the name Tokugawa Yoshitomi following his coming of age in 1851. However, in 1858 he was adopted as Tokugawa Iesada's son and named as the successor to the main Tokugawa house due to his cousin the 13th shogun, Iesada, being heirless. The choice of Yoshitomi was not without conflict; there were other factions in the government who supported Tokugawa Yoshinobu or Matsudaira Naritami for shogun; it must be said that both of them, as opposed to Iemochi, were adults. It was upon assuming the office of shogun that Yoshitomi changed his name to Iemochi .
Iesada's will was that:
On April 22, 1863 (Bunkyū 3, 5th day of the 3rd month), Shogun Iemochi travelled in a great procession to the capital. He had been summoned by the emperor, and had 3,000 retainers as escort. This was the first time since the visit of Iemitsu in the Kan'ei era, 230 years before, that a shogun had visited Kyoto.
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