Japanese Culture: Tokugawa Shogunate

The end of the Sengoku Jidai, saw the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the beginning of the Edo Period (Tokugawa Period).

Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 gave Tokugawa Ieyasu virtual control over all of Japan and paved his way for taking the title of Seii Taishogun.

Following his rise to power, Tokugawa Ieyasu rapidly abolished numerous Daimyo houses which had opposed him during the Sengoku Jidai and his ascension to the office of Seii Taishogun. Other houses, such as the Toyotomi, merely saw their status reduced. To his family and allies, Tokugawa Ieyasu redistributed the spoils of war.

In 1605 Tokugawa Ieyasu installed his son as Shogun and himself as retired Shogun, cementing his family's hold on the office and retaining true power for himself.

Still, Tokugawa Ieyasu had failed to obtain complete control over the western Daimyo. The Toyotomi, in particular, remained a significant threat to the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, leading Tokugaway Ieyasu to devote nearly a decade to the eradication of the Toyotomi. This came to a head in 1615 when Tokugawa forces marched on and destroyed the Toyotomi stronghold at Osaka.

The final defeat of the Toyotomi at Osaka allowed the Tokugawa total control over Japan and began a period of stability that would last 250 years. Some consider this final battle to be the true end of Sengoku Jidai.

With their enemies defeated and Japan united under their control, the Tokugawa Shogunate set to work re-organizing the Japanese social and political structure and implementing new social policies.

Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, the political system evolved into what historians have termed bakuhan, from the words bakufu (house of the Shogun) and han (house of a Daimyo). In the bakuhan the Shogun retained national authority while the Daimyo were granted regional and local authority. This created unity in the feudal structure and saw the creation of an increasingly large bureaucracy in order to manage the various centralized and decentralized authorities.

Rounding out the feudal hierarchy were the various classes of Daimyo. Closest to the Tokugawa were the shinpan, or "related houses". The shinpan consisted of twenty-three Daimyo residing on the borders of Tokugawa lands. These Daimyo were all directly related to Tokugawa Ieyasu. The shinpan held mostly honorary or advisory roles with regard to the bakufu.

Following the shinpan, the second class of the feudal hierarchy were the fudai, or "house Daimyo". These Daimyo were often rewarded with lands near the Tokugawa's territory in recognition of their faithful service to the Tokugawa. By the 18th century 145 fudai controlled much smaller han. Those of the fudai class staffed most of the major bakufu offices.

Finally, the third class of the feudal hierarchy was the tozama, or "outside vassals". This class consisted mostly of former opponents or new allies of the Tokugawa. The tozama were located mostly on the peripheries of the archipelago and collectively controlled nearly ten million koku of productive land. Being the least trusted of the Daimyo, the tozama were the most cautiously managed and were excluded from central government positions.

The Tokugawa Shogunate consolidated their control over the reunified Japan. In addition, they held unprecedented sway over the Emperor by assisting the Imperial Family in regaining their former glory, granting them land and rebuilding palaces in their name.

During the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate would enact various policies determining the roles and behavior of the Daimyo, they would build Japan's first European-style warships, the persecution of Christians, policies marking bakufu policies as law, and a foreign-relations policy known as Sakoku under which no foreigner could enter nor any Japanese leave Japan, under penalty of death.

The Edo Period, and the Tokugawa Shogunate, would last until 1868 when the final Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, would resign, following the Fall of Edo during the Meiji Revolution, restoring central authority to the Emperor and beginning the Meiji Period.