徳川斉昭
Due to the frail health of the "shōgun" Tokugawa Iesada, the members of the Hitotsubashi faction wanted to force Ii to support Hitotsubashi Keiki as the heir to the ailing "shōgun". Hitotsubashi Keiki was the reformist candidate, supported by the reformist faction, headed by his father Tokugawa Nariaki; his supporters pointed to his experience and skill in handling policy decisions. Ii was aware that Japan needed strong leadership, but unlike the reformist "daimyōs", Ii was not prepared to accept strong leadership from outside the traditional forms of government. The bakufu, led by Ii, wanted the 12-year-old "daimyō" of Kii, Tokugawa Yoshitomi, to ascend to the position of "shōgun". The bakufu supported such a young candidate because they felt that it would be easier for them to influence and control a young and inexperienced "shōgun".