Tokugawa Yoshinobu Early life . Tokugawa Yoshinobu was born in [ Edo , japan ] , Hitachi Province , the seventh son of Tokugawa Nariaki , daimyo of Mito . Mito was one of the " gosanke " , the three branch families of the Tokugawa clan which were eligible to be chosen as shogun . Born with the name Matsudaira Shichirōma , he was brought up under strict , spartan supervision and tutelage . He was taught in the literary and martial arts , as well as receiving a solid education in the principles of politics and government . At the instigation of his father , Shichirōma was adopted by the Hitotsubashi - Tokugawa family in order to have a better chance of succeeding to the shogunate . He became family head in 1847 , coming of age that year , receiving court rank and title , and taking the name Yoshinobu . Upon the death of the 13th shogun , Shogun Iesada , in 1858 , Yoshinobu was nominated as a potential successor . His supporters touted his skill and efficiency in managing family affairs . However , the opposing faction , led by Ii Naosuke , won out . Their candidate , the young Tokugawa Yoshitomi , was chosen , and became the 14th shogun Iemochi . Soon after , during the Ansei Purge , Yoshinobu and others who supported him were placed under house arrest . Yoshinobu himself was made to retire from Hitotsubashi headship . The period of Ii ' s domination of the Tokugawa government was marked by mismanagement and political infighting . Upon Ii ' s assassination in 1860 , Yoshinobu was reinstated as Hitotsubashi family head , and was nominated in 1862 to be the , receiving the position soon afterwards . At the same time , his two closest allies , Matsudaira Yoshinaga and Matsudaira Katamori , were appointed to other high positions : Yoshinaga as , Katamori as . The three men then took numerous steps to quell political unrest in the Kyoto area , and gathered allies to counter the activities of the rebellious Chōshū Domain . They were instrumental figures in the " kōbu - gattai " political party , which sought a reconciliation between the shogunate and the imperial court . In 1864 , Yoshinobu , as commander of the imperial palace ' s defense , defeated the Chōshū forces in their attempt to capture the imperial palace ' s in what is called the Kinmon Incident . This was achieved by use of the forces of the Aizu - Satsuma coalition . Shogun Yoshinobu ( 1866 ) . After the death of Tokugawa Iemochi in 1866 , Yoshinobu was chosen to succeed him , and became the 15th shogun . He was the only Tokugawa shogun to spend his entire tenure outside of Edo ; he would never set foot in Edo Castle as shogun . Immediately upon Yoshinobu ' s ascension as shogun , major changes were initiated . A massive government overhaul was undertaken to initiate reforms that would strengthen the Tokugawa government . In particular , assistance from the Second French Empire was organized , with the construction of the Yokosuka arsenal under Leonce Verny , and the dispatch of a French military mission to modernize the armies of the " bakufu " . The national army and navy , which had already been formed under Tokugawa command , were strengthened by the assistance of the French , and military equipment was also purchased from the United States . The outlook among many was that the Tokugawa shogunate was gaining ground towards renewed strength and power ; however , it would fall in less than a year . Boshin War ( 1867 – 1869 ) . Fearing the renewed strengthening of the Tokugawa shogunate under a strong and wise ruler , samurai from Satsuma , Chōshū and Tosa formed an alliance to counter it . Under the banner of " sonnō jōi " ( " revere the Emperor , expel the barbarians ! " ) coupled with a fear of the new Shogun as the " Rebirth of Ieyasu " who would continue to usurp the power of the Emperor , they worked to bring about an end to the shogunate , though they varied in their approaches . In particular , Tosa was more moderate ; it proposed a compromise whereby Yoshinobu would resign as shogun , but preside over a new national governing council composed of various daimyo . To this end , Yamanouchi Toyonori , the lord of Tosa , together with his advisor , Gotō Shōjirō , petitioned Yoshinobu to resign in order to make this possible . On November 9 , 1867 , Yoshinobu tendered his resignation to the Emperor and formally stepped down ten days later , returning governing power to the Emperor . He then withdrew from Kyoto to Osaka . However , Satsuma and Chōshū , while supportive of a governing council of daimyo , were opposed to Yoshinobu leading it . They secretly obtained an imperial edict calling for the use of force against Yoshinobu ( later shown to be a forgery ) and moved a massive number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops into Kyoto . There was a meeting called at the imperial court , where Yoshinobu was stripped of all titles and land , despite having taken no action that could be construed as aggressive or criminal . Any who would have opposed this were not included in the meeting . Yoshinobu opposed this action , and composed a message of protest , to be delivered to the imperial court ; at the urging of men of Aizu , Kuwana , and other domains , and in light of the immense number of Satsuma and Chōshū troops in Kyoto , he dispatched a large body of troops to convey this message to the court . When the Tokugawa forces arrived outside Kyoto , they were refused entry , and were attacked by Satsuma and Choshu troops , starting the Battle of Toba - Fushimi , the first clash of the Boshin War . Though the Tokugawa forces had a distinct advantage in numbers , Yoshinobu abandoned his army in the midst of the fight once he realized the Satsuma and Choshu forces raised the Imperial banner , and escaped to Edo . He placed himself under voluntary confinement , and indicated his submission to the imperial court . However , a peace agreement was reached wherein Tayasu Kamenosuke , the young head of a branch of the Tokugawa family , was adopted and made Tokugawa family head ; On April 11 , Edo Castle was handed over to the imperial army , and the city spared from all - out war . Together with Kamenosuke ( who took the name Tokugawa Iesato ) , Yoshinobu moved to Shizuoka , the place to which Tokugawa Ieyasu , founder of Tokugawa shogunate , had also retired , centuries earlier . Iesato was made the " daimyō " of the new Shizuoka Domain , but lost this title a few years later , when the domains were abolished . Many of the " hatamoto " also relocated to Shizuoka ; a large proportion of them did not find adequate means to support themselves . As a result , many of them resented Yoshinobu , some of them to the point of wanting him dead . Yoshinobu was aware of this , and was so afraid of assassination that he redesigned his sleeping arrangement to confuse a potential assassin . Later life . Living a life in quiet retirement , Yoshinobu indulged in many hobbies , including oil - painting , archery , hunting , photography , and cycling . Some of Yoshinobu ' s photographs have been published in recent years by his great - grandson , Yoshitomo . In 1902 , the Meiji Emperor allowed him to reestablish his own house as a Tokugawa branch ( " bekke " ) with the highest rank in the peerage , that of prince ( " kōshaku " ) , for his loyal service to Japan . Tokugawa Yoshinobu [ peer ] died on November 21 , 1913 at 4 : 10 pm and he is buried in Yanaka Cemetery , Tokyo . On 9 January 1896 his ninth daughter Tokugawa Tsuneko ( 1882 – 1939 ) married Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu , a second cousin to both Emperor Shōwa ( Hirohito ) and Empress Kōjun , and nephew of Prince Kan ' in Kotohito . On 26 December 1911 his granddaughter Tokugawa Kikuko , later Princess Takamatsu was born , who married Prince Takamatsu , the brother of Emperor Shōwa . Honors . " With information from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia " Eras of Yoshinobu ' s " bakufu " . The years in which Yoshinobu was Shōgun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or " nengō " .