Tokugawa Iesada
Tokugawa Iesada (May 6, 1824 – August 14, 1858) was the 13th shōgun of Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate. He ruled from 1853 to 1858. He was known for being physically weak and, in the eyes of later historians, unfit to be shōgun. His reign marks the beginning of the Bakumatsu period, when Japan faced pressure to end its isolation.
Iesada was born in Edo Castle as Masanosuke, the fourth son of the 12th shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, with his concubine Honjuin. Because many of Ieyoshi’s children died young, Iesada was made heir early, but he had limited contact with people to avoid illness. Some historians think he may have had cerebral palsy, and he had smallpox as a child which left his face scarred.
After the death of Tokugawa Ienari in 1841, concerns about the heir grew, but Iesada remained the chosen successor. He became shōgun after his father’s death during the era of the Black Ships, and he did not take an active role in politics; Abe Masahiro handled negotiations with the United States.
The Kanagawa Convention (Treaty of Kanagawa) was signed in 1854. Abe Masahiro resigned, and Hotta Masayoshi took over as head of the rōjū, the shogunate council.
Between 1854 and 1855, powerful earthquakes and tsunamis struck, causing widespread damage and many deaths. The disasters affected areas from Izu to Edo.
In December 1856, Iesada married Atsu, the adopted daughter of Shimazu Nariakira; she was called Midaidokoro Atsuko. In 1857, the shogun met the new American consul, Townsend Harris, and, on Hotta Masayoshi’s advice, Iesada signed the Harris Treaty of 1858 and other unequal treaties that opened Japan to foreign trade and ended much of its isolation. Emperor Kōmei opposed these moves.
Ii Naosuke became tairō in 1858. A deadly cholera outbreak from 1858 to 1860 killed many in Edo. Iesada died childless in 1858, possibly from cholera, and was buried at Kan’ei-ji temple in Ueno. His Buddhist name was Onkyōin.
There were power struggles over who should succeed him, with different factions supporting Tokugawa Yoshinobu or Tokugawa Iemochi. These disputes contributed to the Ansei Purge. Iesada had no surviving children, but he had adopted his cousin as his heir, who would become Tokugawa Iemochi.
In popular culture, Iesada is featured in the NHK drama Atsuhime, where his character is shown in a more nuanced light.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:53 (CET).