Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Road to Osaka.
By 1614, Ieyasu was unquestionably the master of Japan. Though he had formally resigned as Shogun in favour of his son, Hidetada, a decade earlier, the reins of power were firmly in his hands. Already in his 70s, practically ancient by the standards of the day, he was no doubt considering the sort of questions…
From Sekigahara to the Shogunate.
In the aftermath of Sekigahara, Ieyasu set about rewarding his supporters and dealing with his opponents. The exact details of who got/lost what are complex (and not particularly interesting), but the main distinction, and the one that would prove to be the most significant, was the separation between Tozama and Fudai Daimyo. The exact criteria…
The Battle of Sekigahara
Though the Battle of Sekigahara is often used as a convenient end point for the Sengoku Jidai, the final Battle was part of a campaign across Japan between the Western Forces, now led by Ishida Mitsunari, and the Eastern Forces, who followed Tokugawa Ieyasu. The first blow had fallen at Fushimi Castle, garrisoned by troops…
The Road to Sekigahara
Before his death in 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had established a Council of Five Elders to rule Japan until his son, Hideyori, came of age. Of the five, the two most influential were Tokugawa Ieyasu and Maeda Toshiie, and almost before Hideyoshi’s body was cool, the two men set about trying to undermine and outmanoeuvre each…
The Third Unifier – Tokugawa Ieyasu. Part Six.
Following his move to the Kanto following the destruction of the Hojo Clan in 1590, Ieyasu became indispensable to Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s plans for pacifying the rest of Japan. In 1591, Hideyoshi issued an order for clans in the Oshu Region (known today as Tohoku) to stop fighting and observe his newly established peace. Some clans…
Book Plug
It’s Golden Week here in Japan, and in the spirit of the holiday, I’ve decided to do something a bit different and plug my latest book, Burden of Duty, so here you go: In the chaotic aftermath of the Honnō-ji Incident, burned, half-blind, and consumed by shame, Sagano Takashi awakens in the care of foreigners.…
Chris Perry, Author 