The Phantom 16th Tokugawa Shogun

The Tokugawa shogunate was the last feudal military government that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. The shoguns were the de facto rulers of Japan, while the emperors were relegated to a ceremonial role. The Tokugawa shogunate is also known as the Edo period, named after the capital city of Edo (now Tokyo).

The Tokugawa shogunate is widely regarded as having ended with the 15th and last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, who abdicated in 1867 in the face of the Meiji Restoration, a political and social revolution that restored imperial rule and modernized Japan. However, there is an urban legend that claims that there was actually a 16th Tokugawa shogun, who was hidden from history and lived a secret life.

Who was this phantom 16th shogun, and why was he erased from the official records? In this blog post, we will explore the mystery of the phantom 16th Tokugawa shogun, and reveal his true identity and fate.

The Birth of the Phantom 16th Shogun

The phantom 16th shogun was born on August 6, 1863, as Tokugawa Iesato. He was the son of Tokugawa Yoshitomi, the 13th shogun, and Princess Kazu-no-Miya Chikako, the eighth daughter of Emperor Ninkyo. He was also the adopted son of Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun, who was his cousin and had no biological children.

Iesato was the heir apparent to the Tokugawa shogunate, and was expected to succeed Iemochi as the 15th shogun. However, Iemochi died unexpectedly at the age of 20 in 1866, and the shogunate was in a state of crisis. The shogunate was facing internal divisions and external threats from the imperial loyalists and the Western powers, who demanded the opening of Japan to trade and diplomacy.

The shogunate needed a strong and experienced leader to deal with the turbulent situation, and Iesato, who was only three years old at the time, was deemed too young and inexperienced to assume the role of shogun. Therefore, the shogunate decided to appoint Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 10th son of Tokugawa Nariaki, the lord of Mito, as the 15th shogun. Yoshinobu was 29 years old and had served as the guardian of Iesato.

Yoshinobu accepted the position reluctantly, and hoped to reform the shogunate and restore its authority. However, he soon realized that the shogunate was beyond salvation, and decided to surrender his power to the emperor in 1867, in an attempt to avoid a civil war and preserve the Tokugawa family. This marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.

The Life of the Phantom 16th Shogun

Contrary to the common belief, Iesato did not vanish from history. He actually became an active politician and a prominent figure in the Meiji era and beyond. He changed his name to Tokugawa Iesato in 1868, and renounced his claim to the shogunate. He also adopted the surname of Matsudaira, which was the original clan name of the Tokugawa family, to avoid the stigma associated with the shogunate.

Iesato was one of the few Tokugawa members who managed to survive the Boshin War, a civil war that broke out between the shogunate forces and the imperial loyalists in 1868-1869. He was also one of the few Tokugawa members who retained their domains and ranks after the Meiji government abolished the feudal system and established a centralized state.

Iesato became the lord of Shizuoka Domain, which was the former territory of the shogunate. He later became the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, after the Meiji government replaced the domains with prefectures in 1871. He also became a member of the House of Peers, the upper house of the Imperial Diet, the first national parliament of Japan, in 1890.

Iesato was a moderate and progressive politician, who supported the Meiji government and its policies of modernization and westernization. He also advocated for the reconciliation and cooperation between the former shogunate and imperial factions, and played a key role in mediating the conflicts and tensions between them.

Iesato was also a patron of culture and education, who promoted the preservation and development of Japanese arts and traditions. He founded the Tokugawa Art Museum, which houses the art collections and historical documents of the Tokugawa family. He also established the Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation, which supports the research and education of Japanese history and culture.

Iesato had a chance to become the first mayor of Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, in 1889. However, he declined the offer, due to the opposition and resentment from the anti-Tokugawa factions, who still blamed the Tokugawa family for the downfall of the shogunate and the isolation of Japan. He also felt that he was not qualified to lead the city, which had undergone drastic changes since the Edo period.

Iesato died on June 5, 1940, at the age of 76. He was the last surviving member of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the longest-lived Tokugawa shogun in history. He was buried in the Tokugawa family mausoleum in Nikko, alongside his predecessors.

The Legacy of the Phantom 16th Shogun

The phantom 16th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Iesato, was a remarkable and influential figure, who witnessed and participated in the transition of Japan from the feudal shogunate to the modern state. He was a bridge between the past and the present, and a symbol of the continuity and diversity of the Tokugawa family.

Iesato is often overlooked and forgotten in the history of Japan, as he was overshadowed by his more famous and controversial predecessors and successors. However, he deserves to be recognized and remembered as a shogun who never was, and a shogun who never gave up.