Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudal Japanese military government.  The heads of government were the shoguns. Each was a member of the Tokugawa family.

These years are known as the Edo period. The period takes its name from the city where the Tokugawa shoguns lived.  This time is also called the Tokugawa period or pre-modern (Kinsei).

History
Before the Tokugawa shogun was the sengoku era. During this time, many people controlled small land areas. Oda Nobunaga began to join these small areas. After he died in 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi took over for him. Hideyoshi died in 1598. When he died, the people under him fought for control. The last battle in this was the Battle of Sekigahara where Tokugawa Ieyasu won.

Tokugawa Ieyasu needed permission from the Emperor of Japan to take control. The emperor gave him this permission, making him the Shogun, in 1603. He established a military government in Edo, now Tokyo. He won against his last enemies in 1615 at the Battle of Osaka Castle.

The Tokugawa ruled in peace until the middle of the 1800s. During this time period, much of common Japanese culture was created. This includes high literacy rates, kabuki theater, the Japanese tea ceremony, sumo wrestling, woodblock printing, and sushi.  

The Tokugawa shogunate ended with the Boshin civil war. Instead of choosing a new shogun, Emperor Meiji ruled directly. The changes he made are named the Meiji Restoration.

Structure
The Tokugawa government is sometimes known as the bakuhan system because it had two parts. The first part was the bakufu, the shogun's government. The second part was the hans. Hans were small areas of land led by daimyo leaders. The shogun did not control minor events in hans.

List of the Tokugawa shoguns
 Tokugawa Ieyasu, r. 1603–1605
 Tokugawa Hidetada, r. 1605–1623
 Tokugawa Iemitsu, r. 1623–1651
 Tokugawa Ietsuna, r. 1651–1680
 Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, r. 1680–1709
 Tokugawa Ienobu, r. 1709–1712
 Tokugawa Ietsugu, r. 1713–1716
 Tokugawa Yoshimune, r. 1716–1745
 Tokugawa Ieshige, r. 1745–1760
 Tokugawa Ieharu, r. 1760–1786
 Tokugawa Ienari, r. 1787–1837
 Tokugawa Ieyoshi, r. 1837–1853
 Tokugawa Iesada, r. 1853–1858
 Tokugawa Iemochi, r. 1858–1866
 Tokugawa Yoshinobu, r. 1866–1867

Related pages
 Kamakura shogunate
 Ashikaga shogunate
 Meiji Restoration

References

 Other websites 

 Political system of the Tokugawa Shogunate 
 SengokuDaimyo.com website of Anthony J. Bryant on Japan
 Japan

Category:Periods in Japanese history
Category:Samurai
Category:1603 establishments in Japan