Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu (January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the ultimate samurai superstar, ruling the Tokugawa shogunate with a swagger that would make even the coolest samurai jealous. But this dude didn't just kick back and enjoy the peace– he had some wild adventures too.
==Background==
Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former boss Oda Nobunaga and fellow lackey Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The son of a minor daimyo, Ieyasu spent some time in bondage under daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto on behalf of Ieyasu's father. After Oda Nobunaga's death, Ieyasu was briefly a rival of Hashiba Hideyoshi, before declaring his allegiance to Hashiba and fighting on his behalf. Thus began his love/hate relations with men named Hideyoshi.
Ieyasu later relocated to the marshland in eastern Japan, away from Osaka. Ieyasu built his castle in the fishing village of Edo (now Tokyo). He became the most powerful daimyo and wingman to Toyotomi. Ieyasu preserved his strength in Toyotomi's failed attempt to conquer Korea during the Imjin War. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu seized power in 1600, after the Battle of Sekigahara. Thanks in part due to the European cannon his paramour William Adams gifted him during their bromance. Ieyasu received the rank of shōgun in 1603, when he and several thousand of his closest friends went the Imperial City and said to the Emperor, "Sure is a nice city you have here; it would be a shame if anything bad happened to it." To which the Emperor said, "Hey, here's an idea– how about you become Shogun and protect me and my city, and I'll just hang back here and write some poetry and stay the heck out of your way." Bowing to the Emperor's wisdom, Ieyasu graciously accepted the position of Shogun, becoming the second most powerful man in Japan.
Ieyasu abdicated in 1605, making his son the new Shogun, but he got bored of golf pretty quickly and remained the true power behind his son until his (Ieyasu's) death in 1616. He implemented a set of rules known as the bakuhan system, designed to keep the samurai in place under the Tokugawa Shogunate, including:
*Whom the samurai elites could marry. They needed his permission before forming marriage alliances.
*How long and how often the elites would sleepover at Ieyasu's castle, up to a year at a time.
*Whether or not the elites could build their own castles to host their own sleepovers.
==Imjin War==
In the late 16th century, during the Imjin War, when Japan was feeling adventurous and decided to take a field trip to China (through Korea's backyard), Ieyasu played it smart. From his big comfy couch in Edo (now Tokyo), he kicked back with a bowl of popcorn, watching the action unfold. He was like, "Nah, I'm good. I'm resting up for my next epic move." This epic act of procrastination paid off big time for Ieyasu. While the other Samurai drained their resources trying to take on China and Korea on Korea's turf, Ieyasu sat back and stockpiled his arms to get set to take over Japan.
==William Adams==
While the other samurai were cutting off noses as trophies in Korea, Ieyasu was striking up a bromance with a guy named William Adams. Ieyasu and Adams formed an inseparable pair, Ieyasu roleplaying as the stern samurai sensei, while Adams wore his cute foreigner sailor outfit. Ieyasu was like, "Yo, Adams-chan, teach me the ways of the Western world you naughty naughty sailor man," and Adams was all, "Sure thing! Let's trade, swordfight, and have a blast!" They formed a tight bond, exchanged knowledge, and even built some ships together. As the years rolled by, Ieyasu's association with Adams opened up Japan to new ideas and technology. The 17th century was in full swing, and he was all about embracing the cool stuff from the West, while still keeping that classic Japanese style intact. It was like blending sushi with burgers– unexpected, but totally awesome.
==Construction of Edo Castle==
Ieyasu remained the effective ruler of Japan because he had little faith in his son's ability to lead. He "retired" in Sunpu (the Florida of Japan), but he also supervised the building of Edo Castle. Edo Castle was a massive erection which lasted for the rest of Ieyasu's life. The result was the largest castle in all of Japan, the costs for building the castle paid for by all the other daimyo, while Ieyasu reaped all the benefits. The central portion of the castle burned down in a fire in 1657 during a lightning bug race that went horribly wrong.
Category:Japan
Category:Japanese people
Category:Historical figures