Tokugawa Hidetada

Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川 秀忠 (May 2, 1579-March 14, 1632) was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa bakufu.

Early Life (1579-1593)

Tokugawa Hidetada was born to Tokugawa Ieyasu and one of his many consorts in 1579. His childhood name was Tokugawa Nagamaru. His exact birthdate is unknown. This was shortly after Nagamaru's stepmother (Ieyasu's official wife - Nagamaru was born to a consort) and his half-brother Tokugawa Nobuyasu were executed following an accusation that they were planning to assasinate Ieyasu following negotiations with Ieyasu's arch-nemesis, Takeda Shingen. Around this time, Nagamaru's father had allied with the Oda clan under Oda Nobunaga to crush the Takeda under Takeda Shingen. Ieyasu was in a way making a name for himeslf.

Related Topics:
Tokugawa Ieyasu - 1579 - Tokugawa Nobuyasu - Takeda Shingen - Oda - Oda Nobunaga - Takeda

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In 1590, the new ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, joined Tokugawa Ieyasu in attacking the Hojo northeast of Mikawa, the traditional powerbase of the Tokugawa in the Odawara Campaign. Ieyasu had agreed to a deal - if Ieyasu gave the five provinces currently under his jurisdiction, he would receive the eight Kanto provinces, including the city of Edo. In order to keep Ieyasu in line, and probably to prevent him from ever joining the Hojo against him (since the Hojo and the Tokugawa were on a friendly basis), Hideyoshi took the eleven year old Nagamaru as a hostage. In 1592, Hideyoshi presided over Nagamaru's coming of age ceremony, and Nagamaru's name became Tokugawa Hidetada. He was named the heir of the Tokugawa family, being the eldest surviving son of Ieyasu, and his favorite (since Ieyasu's eldest son had been previously executed, and his second son was adopted by Hideyoshi while still an infant). In 1593, Hidetada returned to be with his father, Ieyasu.

Related Topics:
Toyotomi Hideyoshi - Hojo - Mikawa - Odawara Campaign - Kanto - Edo - Heir

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