Ieyasu
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Ieyasu
(Ieyasu Tokugawa) (ēā`yäso͞o tōko͞ogä`wə), 1542–1616, Japanese warrior and dictator. A gifted leader and brilliant general, he founded the TokugawaTokugawa, family that held the shogunate (see shogun) and controlled Japan from 1603 to 1867. Founded by Ieyasu, the Tokugawa regime was a centralized feudalism. The Tokugawa themselves held approximately one fourth of the country in strategically located parcels, which they
..... Click the link for more information. shogunate. Early in his career he helped NobunagaNobunaga
(Nobunaga Oda) , 1534–82, Japanese military commander. The son of a daimyo, Nobunaga greatly expanded his father's holdings, becoming master of three provinces near present-day Nagoya.
..... Click the link for more information. and HideyoshiHideyoshi
(Hideyoshi Toyotomi) , 1536–98, Japanese warrior and dictator. He entered the service of Nobunaga as his sandal holder and rose to become his leading general. After Nobunaga's death Hideyoshi ruled as civilian dictator.
..... Click the link for more information. unify Japan. In 1590 he received the area surrounding Edo (Tokyo) in fief, and he later made Edo his capital. After Hideyoshi's death (1598), he became the most powerful daimyo by defeating rival barons in the battle of Sekigahara (1600). He became shogun in 1603, made his son Hidetada nominal ruler in 1605, subdued Hideyoshi's heirs in 1615, and at his death in 1616 was the undisputed dictator of Japan. He sought to perpetuate the supremacy of his family by freezing the status quo. Under his regime attendance at the shogunal court was compulsory, castle building was strictly controlled, and Confucianism was revived to strengthen the state. Like Hideyoshi, he encouraged foreign trade; Japanese vessels carried goods to China, the Philippines, and Mexico. Christians were at first tolerated because he wished to trade with Europe. After Ieyasu's death a great mausoleum was erected in his honor at Nikko, which became one of the most important shrines in Japan. His name also appears as Iyeyasu.
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Iyeyasu
, Ieyasu Tokugawa . 1542--1616, Japanese general and statesman; founder of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603--1867)
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005