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Battle of Sekigawa
The battle of sekigawa was a deciding battle between the loyalists, and those who supported Tokugawa Ieasu. It resulted in the victory of the Tokugawa forces and the beginning of the Shogunate in Japan -
Formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow Oda subordinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This shogunate would last for many years -
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Sakoku
Sakoku ("locked country") was the isolationist foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 214 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countries were severely limited, and nearly all foreign nationals were barred from entering Japan, while common Japanese people were kept from leaving the country. -
The construction of Edo Castle
In 1605, Ieyasu, acting as the retired shōgun, remained the effective ruler of Japan until his death. Ieyasu retired to Sunpu Castle in Sunpu, but he also supervised the building of Edo Castle, a massive construction project 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 being borne by all the other daimyo, while Ieyasu reaped all the benefits. The central donjon, or tenshu, burned in the 1657 Meireki fire. -
Solidification of Tokugawa Power
In 1615, Ieyasu defeated the Toyotomi clan in a battle at Osaka Castle, thereby solidifying his power over the islands of Japan. Thus began a period of relative peace and stability in which the military lords known as daimyō were kept in check through a system of alternate attendance -
Death of Ieyasu
In 1616, Ieyasu died at age 73. The cause of death is thought to have been cancer or syphilis. -
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651 was the third shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He took control of the Shogunate, when he came of age, in 1617 -
The establishment of Societal Heiracy
The feudal system in japan was fully established at this point, With the emperor being a figurehead rather than a real force in japan, all the power was in the shogunate and in the Shogun himself -
47 Ronin Incident
47 Ronin Incident – a daimyo is killed by 47 ronins in revenge of their master daimyo. A ronin is a masterless samurai. -
End of sakoku
Sakoku isolationism was ended when United States naval commander Commodore Matthew C. Perry entered Edo Bay with his “black ships” and demanded trade be opened to the US. This set in motion the chain of events that would lead to the end of Tokugawa rule and the reestablishment of imperial sovereignty.
