Ieyasu Tokugawa (1540-1669) - Find a Grave Memorial

Legendary warrior and dictator. He was a gifted leader and brilliant general and was the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early in his career he helped Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi unify Japan. In 1590 he received the area surrounding Edo (present day Tokyo) in fief, and made it his capital. After Hideyoshi Toyotomi's death in 1598, he became Japan's most powerful daimyo (feudal lord) by defeating rival barons in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. He became shogun in 1603, made his son Hidetada nominal ruler in 1605 and subdued Hideyoshi's heirs. At the time of his death, he was the most powerful dictator in Japan. He sought to perpetuate the supremacy of his family by freezing the status quo. Under his regime attendance at the shogunal court was compulsory, castle building was strictly controlled, and Confucianism was revived to strengthen the state. Like Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi, he encouraged foreign trade. Japanese vessels carried goods to China, the Philippines, and Mexico. Christians were at first tolerated because he wished to trade with Europe. His mausoleum is part of one of the most important shrines in Japan.

Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett