Tokugawa Ieyasu, the inaugural Tokugawa Shogun and the third of Japan's Three Great Unifiers, was born on January 31, 1543, at Okazaki Castle in Aichi Prefecture. In his youth, Ieyasu was entrusted as a hostage to the Imagawa clan by his father, Matsudaira Hidetada, who sought their aid in the struggle against the Oda. The Matsudaira clan found themselves sandwiched between the Oda to the west and the Imagawa to the northeast, sparking debate among their leaders regarding which rival warlord to align with. Ultimately, Hidetada opted to support the larger and stronger Imagawa faction.
During the journey to the Imagawa stronghold at Suruga, the convoy was misled by a renegade retainer of the Matsudaira clan to the camp of their adversary, Oda Nobuhide. Despite Nobuhide offering terms of peace under challenging conditions, Hidetada refused, even at the peril of his son's life. Consequently, Ieyasu was confined to Nobuhide's castle, where he possibly encountered Nobuhide's son, Nobunaga, and endured hardships at a temple in Nagoya. Subsequently, when the Imagawa attacked Anjo Castle and seized Oda Nobuhide's son three years later, Ieyasu was handed over to the Imagawa as part of the exchange.
Ieyasu participated in the pivotal 1560 clash between the Imagawa Yoshimoto and the Oda Nobunaga at Okehazama, where a mere 2,500 Oda samurai routed the massive army of 25,000 Imagawa soldiers. During this battle, Ieyasu, tasked with delivering supplies to Odaka Castle, found himself liberated from the grasp of the Imagawa clan following the demise of Imagawa Yoshimoto. Upon his return to Okazaki Castle, Ieyasu formed an alliance with Oda Nobunaga, who indirectly facilitated his newfound freedom.
In 1573, Ieyasu faced a dire situation when the Takeda clan launched an assault on his northern Totomi provinces during the Battle of Mikatagahara. However, four years later, with the support of Oda Nobunaga, he exacted vengeance by crushing the Takeda forces at the Battle of Nagashino. Subsequently, following Nobunaga's demise, Ieyasu clashed with Hideyoshi at the Battle of Komaki Nagakute in 1584, though their relationship would later ameliorate.
As Hideyoshi lay on his deathbed in 1598 after governing a unified nation for nearly 15 years, he summoned the 56-year-old Ieyasu and entrusted him with leading the council of regents responsible for overseeing his five-year-old son and designated heir, Toyotomi Hideyori.
Ieyasu willingly accepted the responsibility and, following the demise of the Taiko, or 'Great Chancellor' Hideyoshi, he assumed control from the opulent Fushimi Castle. Without delay, he initiated maneuvers to consolidate his authority over the nation. His assertive actions drew the criticism of many of his peers, leading to a division of the nation into two opposing factions: the east and the west. The confrontation between these formidable armies occurred on October 21, 1600, at the modest plain of Sekigahara, a crucial juncture where the Tokaido and Nakasendo highways intersected, marking the gateway between the country's dividing mountains. The outcome of this monumental battle favored Ieyasu, solidifying his position as the victor in what would be remembered as the largest, most intense, and decisive conflict in samurai history.
Three years following the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu ascended to the esteemed title of Shogun, initiating a dynasty that would govern Japan for the subsequent 260 years.
Later records from Ieyasu's life indicate that he stood approximately 156.5cm tall. While he was slender in his youth, he gradually grew in size as he aged, with a waist circumference ranging from 100 to 120cm. Records of order forms for split toe tabi socks reveal his foot size to be 22.7cm. His inner leg measured about 80cm, with the length from knee to foot being 35cm. Hand prints suggest his hands spanned 18cm from the base of the palm to the fingertips. (Interestingly, his left hand displayed a single straight line across the palm, a trait palm readers often associate with greatness.) In times of stress, he was known to bite his nails, particularly those of his left little finger, sometimes causing them to bleed.
Ieyasu enjoyed outdoor activities such as hawking and swimming, maintaining an active lifestyle. He frequently swam in the moats of Edo Castle and later in Sumpu's moat. Despite his high rank, he preferred modest meals over lavish ones and showed a keen interest in health and fitness, studying medicinal practices. He often provided medical advice to his retainers and fellow daimyo.
Ieyasu passed away at the age of 73, a notable longevity in an era when the average lifespan was around 50 years. Legend has it that he died after eating tempura while falconing at Tanaka Castle in Shizuoka. However, modern researchers speculate that the oils from the tempura may have aggravated Ieyasu's stomach cancer, contributing to his demise.
His body rests atop Kunouzan near the Kunouzan Toshogu in Shizuoka, while his spirit is honored at the splendid Toshogu shrine in Nikko.
See also
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
