How did Tokugawa Ieyasu become the 1st Shogun of the Edo Shogunate?

Patience was the essence of becoming the Shogun

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 徳川家康) was born as an heir of a small Matsudaira clan in Okazaki between two powerful federal lord's territories; Owari (Aichi prefecture) ruled by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582, 織田信長) and Totoomi (Shizuoka prefecture) ruled by Imagawa Yoshimoto. He grew as a hostage until the age of 19. Once his hostage life was over suddenly, he allied with a warlord, Nobunaga. In 1570, Ieyasu and Nobunaga won a victory against the allied forces of the Asai and Asakura clans, and he moved into Hamamatsu Castle, leaving Okazaki Castle to his heir at the age of 29. Two years later, in 1572, at the battle against the powerful lord, Takeda Shingen, he almost died and lost many essential retainers at Mikatagahara. Ieyasu took this great defeat to heart. The battles with Takeda Katsuyori, who succeeded Takeda Shingen, lasted ten years. The battles at Takatenjin Castle and the Battle of Nagashino & Shitaragahara were particularly fierce.

No sooner had Ieyasu heard Nobunaga's sudden death in a rebellion at Honnoji Temple, he barely returned to Okazaki through a pathless route, where the danger of his life was imminent. At that time, Ieyasu was Nobunaga's allied partner at age 41 and Toyotaomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598, 豊臣秀吉) was Nobunaga's retainer at age 45. The two Samurai were becoming rivals for supremacy as Nobunaga's successor. They eventually fought in the fierce Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, which ended in a truce without a winner. Without the victory, Hideyoshi begged Ieyasu to be his retainer by sending his mother to Ieyasu as a hostage. Ieyasu accepted it to avoid further turmoil in the nation. As further patience, Hideyoshi ordered Ieyasu to move to the undeveloped province of Edo (Tokyo) at the age of 49. Edo was a reedy morass area with very few villages and it was far from the center of politics in Kyoto and economics in Osaka. Despite this situation, he started a massive development of Edo such as the flood control of the Tone River, the cultivation of new fields, the establishment of Edo castle, and so on. Ieyasu used his clever strategy and perseverance to regain the position of the ruler Hideyoshi had seized. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu was appointed Shogun and launched the Edo Shogunate in 1603. Ieyasu's achievement was greatly supported by his royal vassals, known as four generals: Honda Tadakatsu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, Ii Naomasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu.

Ieyasu laid the foundation for a 260-year peaceful era

After defeating the Toyotomi family at the Siege of Osaka, Ieyasu launched a variety of policies to ensure a peaceful era without getting it back to the turmoil era. Tokugawa's commander flag is described as "Onri-edo Gokuraku-jodo (厭離穢土・極楽浄土)," meaning ”peaceful nation building." This is the fundamental teaching of the Jodo Sect founded by Honen. These measures and policies contributed to 260 years of Pax-Tokugawana.

Tokugawa Ieyasu Map

Notable sites related to Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu Timeline

1336	Ashikaga Takauji estabilished Muromachi Shogunate	-	Muromachi Period
1467	Onin War started (- 1477)	-	Warring States Period
1534	Nobunaga was born in Owari province	-
1537	Hideyoshi was born in Nagoya	-
1542	Ieyasu was born in Okazaki province	Age=1
1547	Ieyasu was sent to Imagawa’s Sunpu castle as a hostage by his father	6
1560	Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto at the battle of Okehazama	19
1561	Ieyasu made an alliance with Nobunaga	20
1569	Ieyasu conquered Imagawa's terittory	28
1570	Nobunaga & Ieyasu defeated the Asai and Asakura clans	29
1570	Ieyasu moved to Hamamatsu Castle from Okazaki Castle	29
1572	Ieyasu returned to Hamamatsu Castle from his life escaping from Shingen's assault	31
1573	Muromachi Shogunate ended by the 15th Shogun, Yoshiaki was ousted by Nobunaga	31	Azuchi Momoyama Period
1575	Oda-Tokugawa allied completely defeated the Takeda clan at the battle of Nagashino	34
1582	Nobunaga invited Ieyasu at Azuchi Castle and then enjoyed sight-seeing in Kyoto & Sakai	41
1582	Nobunaga was killed at Honnoji by Akechi Mitsuhide	41
1582	Ieyasu returned to Okazaki Castle through crossing the pathless route	41
1582	Hideyoshi defeated Akechi Mitsuhide	41
1584	Komaki-Nagakute battle between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu	43
1585	Hideyoshi became Kanpaku (chief advisor to the Emperor)	44
1586	Hideyoshi built the huge Osaka castle	45
1590	Hideyoshi spearhead army to attack Hojo clan	49
1590	Hideyoshi unified the nation	49
1590	Ieyasu moved to Edo according to Hideyoshi's order	49
1598	Hideyoshi passed away	57
1600	Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Ishida Mitsunari, Hideyoshi's right arm at the battle of Sekigahara	59
1603	Tokugawa Ieyasu established Tokugawa Shogunate at Edo	62	Edo Period
1603	Ieyasu built Nijojo Caslte	62
1607	The first Korean envoy came to Edo	66
1612	Ieyasu built Nagoyajo Caslte	71
1614	The Winter Siege of Osaka	73
1615	Toyotomi's Osaka Castle burnt down to the ground at the Summer Siege of Osaka	74
1615	Tokugawa Issued a set of regulations that applied to the emperor and the court nobles	74
1616	Ieyasu passed away at the age of 75	75
1617	The spirit of Ieyasu was enshrined at Nikko Toshogu Shrine	-
1620	Tokugawa Masako married Emperor Gpmizunoo	-
1623	Tokugawa Iemistu became the 3rd Shogun of Tokugawa Shogunate	-