Posted: 25 December 2004 at 2:51am | IP Logged

 THIS MUSEUM CONTAINS HOLDINGS OF THE OWARI BRANCH OF THE TOKUGAWA FAMILY.  IT HAS GALLERIES OF PHOTOS AND HISTORY OF THE DAIMYO.

Posted: 25 December 2004 at 10:52pm | IP Logged

"To come to know your enemy, first you must become his friend, and once you become his friend, all his defences come down. Then you can choose the most fitting method for his demise."

-Tokugawa Ieyasu

Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not. Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the natural lot of mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair. When ambitious desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of extremity thou has passed through. Forbearance is the root of quietness and assurance forever. Look upon the wrath of the enemy. If thou knowest only what it is to conquer, and knowest not what it is to be defeated, woe unto thee; it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thyself rather than with others.

-Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616)

List of the Shoguns

1. Tokugawa Ieyasu   (1542-1616) (r. 1603-1605)
2. Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632) (r. 1605-1623)
3. Tokugawa Iemitsu  (1604-1651) (r. 1623-1651)
4. Tokugawa Ietsuna  (1641-1680) (r. 1651-1680)
5. Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709) (r. 1680-1709)
6. Tokugawa Ienobu     (1662-1712) (r. 1709-1712)
7. Tokugawa Ietsugu    (1709-1716) (r. 1713-1716)
8. Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751) (r. 1716-1745)
9. Tokugawa Ieshige    (1711-1761) (r. 1745-1760)
10. Tokugawa Ieharu     (1737-1786) (r. 1760-1786)
11. Tokugawa Ienari      (1773-1841) (r. 1787-1837)
12. Tokugawa Ieyoshi     (1793-1853) (r. 1837-1853)
13. Tokugawa Iesada     (1824-1858) (r. 1853-1858)
14. Tokugawa Iemochi    (1846-1866) (r. 1858-1866)
15. Tokugawa Yoshinobu  (1837-1913) (r. 1867-1868)

Posted: 13 March 2005 at 4:33am | IP Logged

The Tokugawa Lecture

  http://www.asjapan.org/Lectures/2002/Lecture/lecture-2002-01 .htm

Lecture 2002-01-21

The Tokugawa Art Collection: an Illustrated Lecture

Mr. Yoshinobu Tokugawa

Following the Annual General Meeting came the main event, "The Tokugawa Art Collection: an Illustrated Lecture" presented by Mr. Yoshinobu Tokugawa, with the aid of two slide projectors. The collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum, said Mr. Tokugawa, consisted of the works of art and craft successively handed down in the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family, the household with the closest ties to the ruling shoguns throughout

the Edo period (1603-1868). The museum is unique in two respects. First, out of 260 daimyo families in Japan, this is the only family collection of treasures and records preserved almost in its entirety; and second, of nearly 500 art museums in existence with daimyo family treasures in their collections, it is the only one devoted to one family's collection. Mr. Tokugawa's late grandfather, Marquis Yoshichika Tokugawa, who was the 19th head of the Owari Tokugawa family, established the Reimeikai Foundation to which he donated almost all the household treasures, and then, under this foundation, built in 1935 the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya, the old capital of the Owari territory. At the core of the collection were objects inherited from the first Tokugawa shogun Ieyasu by his ninth son Yoshinao, the founder of the Owari branch of the family. These treasures included sutras from the Nara period, pictorial hand scrolls from the Heian and Kamakura periods, paintings and art objects from the Southern Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties in China, and paintings and tea bowls from the Koryo and Yi dynasties in Korea.

Prior to the Edo period, the daimyos had been simply military leaders; but with the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate they were also required to be competent administrators, "excelling with both the pen and the sword". To accomplish this double task, they had also to apply themselves to various scholarly and cultural pursuits, a change of approach which led to changes in the type of articles employed for daily use and the decorative objects with which they surrounded themselves, articles which now make up the museum's collection.

The original museum, set up on the site of one of the old family villas, consists of one large gallery and two smaller galleries of no special character, though the building is roofed like and old castle. The building was extended three times in twenty years. In 1987 six new galleries were added, which Mr Tokugawa himself designed to replicate the living conditions of a typical daimyo.

A daimyo's possessions can be divided into two main categories: omote-dogu, articles for official use, and oku-dogu, articles for private use. The omote-dogu consist of arms and armour which reflect his status and wealth, together with other articles required for official use or formal occasions. The oku-dogu consist of articles for his personal use and his pastimes. Among the arms, swords were definitely of the first rank, and were the most precious of all the gifts exchanged between the shogun, the daimyos and their retainers. The most refined techniques were used on the scabbard and hilt, and the decorative elements were mostly poetic, representing floral motifs. On January 11th every year, the daimyo's helmet and armour would be put on display, together with the long sword and battle banner and standard, to invoke military success and peace. These articles are now on show in the first of four galleries designed to show the official life of the daimyo.

The second gallery contains a thatched wooden hut which is a reconstruction of the 17th-century tea house in Nagoya Castle, which was destroyed in 1945 during the war. The tea ceremony, established by Sen-no-Rikyu in the latter half of the 16th century, was part of the daimyo's official functions, such as receiving a shogunal visit or entertaining distinguished visitors. The reception started at the tea house, and the daimyo himself would act as host. Of the articles in the present collection we were

shown examples of a flower vase, tea caddy, tea bowl and kettle. All such articles were carefully selected for the purpose of subtly manifesting the status of the owner, and with full consideration given to their appropriateness to the season and occasion. The utensils might seem modest, even humble, but each had its traditional history, and it was part of a daimyo's education to know how to appreciate these cultural objects, either as a host or a guest.

The third gallery is designed to reproduce the main room of the residence in Nagoya Castle, in which the tatami flooring is about five inches higher than in the adjacent rooms; here the daimyo issued orders or received guests at banquets. The lavish gilt decoration, which stands in sharp contrast to the tea house, served to enhance his status and authority. The rooms are separated by decorated wall panels or sliding doors. In the main room is a large tokonoma with three hanging scrolls. In front of the scrolls is a small table with the mitsugusoku (three traditional Buddhist ornaments), an incense burner, a flower

vase and a candle stand, and on either side of the table are vases of flowers. On the left-hand side of the room there is another alcove where writing articles such as brushes, ink sticks and ink stones were kept. All the ornamentation of the room follows strict customs and rules which originated in the previous Ashikaga shogunate.

Other rooms in this gallery are reconstructions of the kusarinoma and dokonoma rooms in Nagoya Castle, which were used to entertain guests and spend time in a relaxed mood. Here the architecture and decoration are simpler.

The fourth gallery contains a reconstruction of a Noh theatre according to the original in Nagoya Castle. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Noh was patronized by warriors and daimyos, and Ieyasu adopted it as the official music-drama of the shogunate. So it became an integral part of the protocol for formal receptions, and highly ranked

daimyos were required to maintain a full set of Noh accoutrements, and retain Noh actors in their employ. In addition, Noh dancing and singing were considered a desirable accomplishment for daimyos, and every year on January 2nd the shogun himself performed the first chanting of the year. The museum's collection contains examples of sumptuous and elegant Noh costumes and typical masks.

The fifth gallery shows articles used in the daimyo's private life. (The private space might be considerable, depending on the size of the family; the 11th shogun, Ienari, had a wife, 40 concubines, 55 children and more than 500 servants.) In contrast to the many articles in Chinese taste used in the official quarters, most of the private effects and art works were of Japanese design, though their craftsmanship and decoration could still reflect the wealth and influence of their owners. Most of these articles no longer survive, and those that do formed part of the trousseaux of the ladies who married into the Owari Tokugawa family. Ostensibly functional, specially commissioned sets of articles were carefully stored and handed down as heirlooms, and most of them bear the family's aoi crest. A typical example is a set of lacquerware made by the most famous craftsman of the day, which was brought to the second Owari daimyo by his bride, who was the daughter of the third shogun, Iemitsu. All these items have been designated as National Treasures. The high level of cultural and artistic education required of a daimyo meant that he patronized leading scholars, calligraphers and painters, and high-quality examples of Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and painting had to be acquired and maintained.

The most famous National Treasures in the Tokugawa collection are the hand scroll paintings of the Tale of Genji. Though they are now nationally known cultural objects, originally they formed part of the private effects of a daimyo. These scroll paintings are now housed in the original gallery, which is often used for special exhibitions. Other objects on show there are 11th-century examples of calligraphy, folding screens from the 17th century, paintings from the Southern Song dynasty, and a set of Ryukyuan court musical instruments.

In conclusion, Mr. Tokugawa said he hoped he had made it clear that the fundamental governing policy of the Tokugawa shogunate was based on culture, and that the shogun and daimyos were not the barbarians depicted in the novel and TV drama "Shogun"!

After a brief question time, a vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Peter McMillan, who emphasized the uniqueness of the Tokugawa collection, and in particular the high quality of the tea objects; he also drew attention to the extensive research Mr. Tokugawa had conducted in order to reproduce faithfully the style of living of a daimyo of the period. The assembled company then proceeded to the adjacent rooms to enjoy the British embassy's hospitality, for which we would like to convey here our heartfelt appreciation to the Gomersalls (and we hope they will get some vicarious pleasure out of reading this account!). We were also treated, as usual, by Mr. Takeo Yamaoka to his gift of sake and commemorative masu, for which we are always grateful.

Adapted from "The Asiatic Society of Japan Bulletin No. 2", February 2002, compiled by Prof. Hugh E. Wilkinson and Mrs. Doreen Simmons.

Posted: 14 March 2005 at 4:08am | IP Logged

Makoto Takeuchi

Tsunenari Tokugawa

So-called because, under the Tokugawa Shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the political center was moved from Kyoto to Edo, present-day Tokyo, in 1603. The Tokugawa family ruled from Edo until the 15th shogun, Yoshinobu, made way for the Emperor Meiji more than 260 years later, in 1868.

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate, various events are being held and scheduled in Tokyo. Among these, the major "Treasures and Papers of the Tokugawa Shogunal Household" exhibition runs till Aug. 31 at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It was there, last week, that The Japan Times talked with Makoto Takeuchi, director general of the museum and a professor at Rissho University, and Tsunenari Tokugawa, current head of the House of Tokugawa and president of the Tokugawa Memorial Foundation, which is presenting the legacy of the shogunal family at the exhibition.

What were the main characteristics of the Edo Period?

Takeuchi: It was an era in which peace prevailed for 2 1/2 centuries. However, that long-lasting peace didn't just happen -- there was a good reason for it. The mentality and mind-set of the Japanese avoided conflicts and cherished inter-relationships with others. In Edo, townspeople lived in townhouses in densely populated areas. The most important thing in their life was "not to cause trouble to others," since they lived so close to each other. When someone did cause trouble, many tolerated it by saying "otagaisama [I might have done the same]." That is one of the basic factors contributing to the establishment of order and peace.

After the century-long Warring States Period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98) reunited the nation in 1590, fulfilling the wish of his lord, Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), who was assassinated by a lieutenant. Then Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) rose against the Toyotomi clan after Hideyoshi's death at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which split the country. Assuming power after his victory on the battlefield, Ieyasu established his shogunate in Edo. He also gradually cornered the falling Toyotomi and finally annihilated the clan in the 1614-15 Battles of Osaka, ending major bloodshed in Japan for some 250 years.

Tokugawa: Japan was like a federal state. The Tokugawa Shogunate was the federal government among all the regional daimyo around the country. And the biggest responsibility of the shogunate was national security. Learning lessons from the past, namely the Warring States Period and Hideyoshi's invasions into Korea, the priority of successive shoguns was keeping the peace. One anecdote has it that a shogunal official was deploring the fact that some impoverished samurai were taking their swords and other arms to pawn shops. But when the eighth shogun, Yoshimune, heard the story, he told the official that he should be delighted that peace was prevailing and weapons were no longer necessary.

A 1632 "Map of Edo in the Toshima County of Musashi Province" PHOTO COURTESY OF TOKYO METROPOLITAN CENTRAL LIBRARY, SPECIAL COLLECTION ROOM

Takeuchi: Peace in the Edo Period owed much to the nature of the rulers. The samurai class generally practiced stoic lifestyles and foreswore luxury. People's respect for that class kept civil war from happening [even at times of famine or natural disasters], although there were some uprisings by starving farmers. I also often say that there were not as many bad magistrates as you always see in samurai dramas.

Tokugawa: While the market economy brought prosperity to merchants, the [nonproductive] ruling samurai class became poorer and poorer. But the samurai maintained a high moral standard throughout the period. That was based on Confucian education, which was founded on the concept of honor. Any disgraceful or corrupt act incurred a penalty, not only for the wrongdoer but also for his entire immediate family and, in some cases, more distant relatives.

The samurai class accounted for up to 7 percent of the population. Their revenues were directly linked to rice production. Throughout the country, they took some 30 percent of the produce, while the rest belonged to farmers.

Takeuchi: Another characteristic of the period was that Japan boosted its handcraft skills to the highest level in the world. Without the modern manufacturing technologies of the Industrial Revolution [in Europe], the quality of craftsmanship saw significant improvement. This does not mean goods were abundant; rather, products were unique and were made with great skill and care. Consumers also used goods for a lifetime, repairing them over and over.

A suit of armor used by the warrior chieftain Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. (This will be removed fromt he exhibition after Aug. 10.)

Tokugawa: Tokugawa Japan was a very effective ecosociety, because 30 million people -- which was the national population during the Edo Period -- had to live in a self-sustaining environment. Consequently, all natural resources were used carefully on a basis of sustainability. Clothes, wood, paper, porcelain and everything else were used again and again. There were thousands of street vendors in Edo, but not all were selling. About 40 percent of them were buying goods to recycle.

Did the shogunate's closed-country policy contribute to keeping peace?

Takeuchi: When you hear the term "sakoku [closed country]," it sounds as if Japan had shut itself off from the outside world. But in reality, during the Edo Period it wasn't the case. There were four "windows" open to foreign goods and ideas -- Nagasaki's Dejima, the Tsushima Islands, the Satsuma domain in Kyushu, and Ezo in present-day Hokkaido.

The sakoku policy was introduced step-by-step during the days of the second shogun, Hidetada, in the early 17th century, and it was completed under the third shogun, Iemitsu, in 1641, when Dutch merchants -- the only Westerners allowed to trade with Japan -- were ordered to move to the fan-shaped manmade island of Dejima off Nagasaki. Chinese traders were also allowed to conduct business in Nagasaki. In addition, while the shogunate had diplomatic ties with Korea through the Tsushima Islands off northern Kyushu, the powerful Satsuma domain in southern Kyushu virtually colonized the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa, which was a subject state of China and was open to Southeast Asia. In the north, the Matsumae domain controlled trade with indigenous groups in Hokkaido and the northern islands.

Takeuchi: Really, the closed-country policy was what we call today "controlled trade" supervised by the shogunate, as opposed to "free trade." The term sakoku wasn't introduced until 1801, and the people living in the period perhaps never felt that Japan had closed its doors to the outside world. The sakoku policy did not have much to do with the long peace of the Edo Period.

The word sakoku first appeared in 1801, in the Japanese translation of a thesis on the shogunate's policy by the German physician Engelbert Kaempfer. Kaempfer smuggled himself into Dejima in 1690, and later published "The History of Japan," based on his tours to Edo in 1691 and 1692 accompanying Dutch trading representatives. The thesis on the shogunal policy was a supplement to "The History of Japan," and Shizuki Tadao, the scholar of Dutch learning who translated the book, created the word sakoku by titling the thesis "Sakoku-ron.''

The eighth shogun, Yoshimune (1684-1751), even promoted Dutch learning. Why is he called "the restorer of the Tokugawa Shogunate"?

Takeuchi: Yoshimune has been lauded by scholars for his agricultural reforms -- but not only for these, as he is also considered to be the first shogun to introduce urban planning. As Edo grew bigger, various problems emerged, such as rampant fires and a lack of medical facilities for the poor. Yoshimune organized fire brigades of townspeople in each community to work with conventional samurai-class firefighters. He also set up Koishikawa Sanitarium [in present-day Bunkyo Ward] for the needy.

Nonetheless, one cynical saying popular for describing Edo was: "Kaji to kenka wa Edo no hana [Fire and fight are Edo's attractions.]" One document shows that 20 infernos were recorded between 1657 and 1716. The Meireki Inferno in 1657 razed much of the city, including the Edo Castle donjon, and an estimated 100,000 people -- some 10 percent of the population -- were killed. Another document says that in 82 days in 1659, 105 outbreaks of fire were recorded in the city, so obviously fire-prevention had become an urgent issue. Meanwhile, Koishikawa Sanitarium was created for the poor, based on requests from townspeople placed in suggestion boxes installed during Yoshimune's reign.

Takeuchi: Yoshimune also developed areas like Asukayama (in present-day Kita Ward) and other Edo suburbs into public parks by planting cherry trees. The park-development project aimed to provide recreational spaces for people, and to revitalize local areas by giving business opportunities for tea houses and shops catering for visitors.

Why is it that the education system was so prioritized during the Edo Period?

Tokugawa: There were some 260 colleges throughout Japan, each run by a daimyo, where the offspring of samurai studied. The biggest of all was Shoheiko in Edo, which was run by the Tokugawa family and later became the University of Tokyo. Shoheiko accepted not only Tokugawa samurai but also talented people from across the country. In addition, some 2,000 private schools nationwide accepted people from all social classes, teaching Chinese philosophy, Japanese history, Dutch learning and more.

In the Edo Period, literacy rates in the city were about 80 percent for males and 25 percent for females, compared with the national average of 54 percent and 19 percent respectively -- excluding the samurai and clergy.

Tokugawa: Japan's high literacy rates stemmed from community schools called terakoya for children aged from 6 or 7 to 12 or 13. There were 15,000 terakoya around the country. We now have about 250,000 elementary schools in Japan, but of course the population is far bigger today.

The Edo-Tokyo Museum is hosting a special exhibition on the shogunal household this month. What are the showcase items?

Takeuchi: This is a rare opportunity to exhibit so many Tokugawa treasures under the same roof. The exhibition features items that even regional daimyo could not have possessed. One of my favorites is a tea container named "Hatsuhana" that was imported from China. What fascinates me is that it was originally owned by [the eighth Ashikaga Shogun] Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-90). It was later passed on to Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and then to Ieyasu -- all the three Warring States heroes. As I am not an art-history expert, I cannot tell how valuable it is, but as a historian, I joke that I want to check the fingerprints that might have been left on it.

The exhibition features some 220 items, many of them owned by the Tokugawa Memorial Foundation. After closing at the Edo-Tokyo Museum on Aug. 31, the exhibition moves to the Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum in Shizuoka, from Sept. 20 till Oct. 26.

Posted: 14 March 2005 at 5:02am | IP Logged

The 99-meter-high Kegon Waterfall plunging from Lake Chuzenji in Nikko National Park (above); part of the biannual "1,000 Samurai Parade" through Nikko to commemorate the 1617 enshrinement there of Tokugawa IeyasuPHOTOS COURTSEY OF THE JAPAN NATIONAL TOURIST ORGANIZATION

Then buy your train ticket, pack your day bag and head off to the historic city of Nikko, a 1 hour 40 minute train ride north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, where one day soon you can take to the streets, not with the customary legion of trippers, but with throngs of far more colorful revelers dressed as samurai, archers and Shinto priests.

The "1,000 Samurai Parade," held every May 18 and Oct. 17, commemorates the 1617 enshrinement at Nikko of the remains of Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Winding its way around town, the parade is a visual extravaganza: Besides columns of marchers in vivid reds and blues, shrine maidens will perform traditional dances at the parade's departure and arrival points. Don't forget your camera.

Whether it's Japanese tradition, treks through the wilds or even theme-park entertainment that is your thing, Nikko is a must-see destination that last year drew more than 6 million visitors.

Located at the foot of Mount Nyoho in western Tochigi, Nikko has been a center for religious activity since the eighth century, and boasts some of Japan's most famous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines -- so famous, in fact, that in 1999 UNESCO designated them collectively as a World Heritage site.

Many visitors make their first stop the Toshogu Shrine, the site of Ieyasu's enshrinement. Among the many attractions of the complex is the Yomeimon Gate, where more than 400 wood carvings take on varying hues depending on light conditions. Japan's top craftsmen worked for more than 12 years, finally completing the structure in 1636 -- to the tune of an estimated 200 billion yen in current terms.

Close by is Rinno-ji, a Buddhist temple built in 766 whose regal Sambutsudo (Three Buddha Hall) houses statues of Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha), Senju Kannon (a bodhisattva with 1,000 arms) and Bato Kannon (a divine being depicted with a fierce countenance).

Every bit as interesting is the Futarasan Shinto Shrine, actually a complex of several shrines to deities associated with the sacred mountains of Nikko. Legend has it that waters from a fountain there, Futara-Reisen, will help keep you young.

Forming a majestic stage for Nikko's religious buildings is the Nikko National Park, an area of mountains, forests, waterfalls and lakes that encompasses not only the city of Nikko itself but also extends into the neighboring prefectures of Fukushima, Gunma and Niigata.

Northwest of Nikko, the terrain soars upward to the large and pristine Lake Chuzenji at 1,269 meters, which is presided over by the extinct volcano Mount Nantai. The waters of the lake cascade through a barrier of trees into the 99-meter-high Kegon Waterfall.

Nestled in the lake's forests is the elegant Italian Embassy Villa Memorial Park, which was constructed in 1928 from Japanese cedar and -- as its name implies -- until a few years ago served as a retreat for Italian diplomats. Visitors there can gaze at the lake from wooden benches.

Also close to Nikko is the Kirifuri Highland, a plateau reaching altitudes of up to 1,600 meters that is home to deer, monkeys and other wildlife that keep hikers company as they work their way up the slopes. As suggested by its name (kirifuri translates as "falling mist"), the area is shrouded in fog throughout much of the year.

After walks through temples and up thigh-busting mountain paths, it may be time for some lighter fare, especially if you have kids in tow. Look no further than the theme parks of the Kawaji and Kinugawa areas north of Nikko.

For starters, near the Tobu-Kinugawa Line's Shin-Takatoku Station, and just off Route 121, you can indulge your inner cowboy at the American-style Western Village, which features a 25-meter replica of Mount Rushmore, an old-time locomotive, galloping horses and -- duck! -- a shoot-out show performed by stunt men.

Toshogu Shrine, built as a tribute to Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, took more than 12 years to complete at a cost of around 200 billion yen at current values.

For the Japanese nostalgia equivalent, go further north to Edo Wonderland, home of "samurai" and period "merchants" who go about daily tasks as they would have been performed centuries ago. (Don't be surprised, by the way, to encounter a duel between sword-swinging samurai and their meddlesome "ninja" foes.)

Cross the Kinugawa River to the east and you arrive at Tobu World Square and its miniature lookalikes of the Empire State Building, the Parthenon, Egyptian pyramids -- among scores of other copies built to 1/25 the size of their architectural originals. It is, indeed, a small world.

Lest you should wear yourself out before returning to the drudgery of workaday reality, take a dip in a bath at the Kinugawa Hot Spring, which -- by now you shouldn't be surprised to learn -- also has a bit of history behind it.

First discovered in 1691, the soothing waters here were off-limits to all but nobility and the Buddhist monks of Mount Nikko. Eventually, however, common folk were granted entry, and after a railway service was introduced in 1927 it developed into one of the largest hot-spring resorts in Japan.

The area is also a good place to stay over should you be traveling from afar. A night in a traditional room at the Marukyo ryokan (Japanese inn) costs between 10,000 yen and 15,000 yen per person, including breakfast and dinner.

The Asaya Hotel, for its part, has both Japanese- and Western-style rooms, with a higher price range up to about 20,000 yen each for a couple, which also includes breakfast and dinner. (Don't forget to ask for a dish of raw fish made with local delicacy yuba, fresh soymilk skin.)

There's a little something for everyone. Perhaps it's why Japanese old-timers have a saying: "Never say kekko ['I've had enough'] . . . until you've seen Nikko."

The following Web sites offer more information:

Tochigi Prefecture: www.pref.tochigi.jp/kokusai/english/index.html

Sightseeing information: www.tochigi-kankou.jp/en/index.xhtml

Posted: 25 March 2005 at 3:11am | IP Logged

Tsunenari Tokugawa, current head of the main Tokugawa family

The Tokugawa Shogunate -- instituted by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 -- collapsed prior to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, but the long history of the Tokugawa families did not end with their political dominance. Indeed, within only a few years of being sidelined by the sacred Emperor Meiji, many Tokugawas had been awarded peerages and/or had taken spouses in the elite classes, including relatives of the Imperial Family and business magnates.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and last shogun, who ruled for only a year, was 30 when the bakufu (shogunal government) collapsed in 1867. He lived another 47 years, until 1913. When his government collapsed, Yoshinobu moved to Sunpu, in present-day Shizuoka Prefecture. There, he secluded himself, apparently afraid of being used as a political pawn as he had been while he was the shogun. Instead, he devoted himself to cycling, deer-hunting and archery, and became highly proficient at Western-style oil painting and photography.

In 1868, headship of the Tokugawa family was assumed by Ie sato, Yoshinobu's adopted son who was given the rank of prince in 1884 when he returned to Japan after studying in England for five years. In 1890 he was appointed to the House of Peers, and served as its president from 1903-33.

The current head of the Tokugawa main family is Iesato's great-grandson, Tsunenari. Now 62, he worked for most of his life at the shipping firm Nippon Yusen K.K., retiring in June this year. Most of his family's wealth was lost following the Meiji Restoration, and many surviving treasures were damaged in U.S. bombing. Tsunenari is currently establishing a nonprofit foundation to preserve the family's remaining cultural assets from the glory days of the shogunate.

Meanwhile, three other families of collateral lineage have kept the name Tokugawa. Traditionally called the gosanke, or Three Successor Houses, these families' role was to supply a male successor if the main family had no heir. Unlike the main family, these families retained much of their wealth following the collapse of the bakufu.

Probably the best-known and most interesting figure of the branch families was Yoshichika Tokugawa (1886-1976) of the Owari family. A renowned hunter of bears in Hokkaido and tigers in the Malay Peninsula, he was also politically active and provided funds for the March Incident of 1931, an attempted rightwing coup d'etat. Then, in November 1945, he co-founded the Japan Socialist Party.

The end of the war, too, saw the peerage stripped of their titles, and many financially ruined by taxes. The Tokugawa families were no exception. "Japan's defeat in the war, and asset taxes, deprived our family of 90 percent of its property," Yoshichika wrote in a 1963 essay.

The farsighted Yoshichika had, however, been concerned about the Tokugawa families' fortunes long before World War II, having noted what befell many prestigious samurai families after 1868. As early as 1931, he set up a public foundation to which he donated most of the Owari branch family's cultural assets. He even donated his own mansions and land to the municipality in Nagoya.

As a result, all the Owari family's treasures were preserved, and are now displayed at The Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya. This houses more than 13,000 items ranging from swords and armor to scrolls and pottery, and including many designated national treasures, important cultural properties and important art objects. Yoshinobu Tokugawa, 68, the current head of the Owari Tokugawa, is president of the museum and foundation.

As Yoshichika foresaw, another Tokugawa gosanke family, the branch family of Kii, now part of Wakayama Prefecture, lost most of their fortune before the war. Yorisada Tokugawa, who was born in 1892 and headed the family until his death in 1954, squandered most of his estimated 50 billion yen fortune (at current values) on high living, and reportedly sold most of the family's land and treasures.

A gourmet who ate only the finest French cuisine, Yorisada nonetheless played a valuable role in introducing Western music to Japan. He built the first music hall in 1918, in Tokyo, and imported the country's largest pipe organ from Britain.

One of Yorisada's two grandchildren is Kotoko Tokugawa, an award-winning Tokyo-based architect. "We have lots of photos left by Yorisada, many of which he took in Europe," she said in a recent interview. "I wish I could someday collect and write up what he told us."

The third of the gosanke families once ruled Mito, now part of Ibaraki Prefecture. Seeking to preserve their cultural inheritance and avoid taxes, this family also created a public foundation and transferred its fine arts and other treasures to the Tokugawa Museum in Mito. The current and 15th head of the family, foundation president and museum director Narimasa Tokugawa, 44, said that before becoming a foundation director in 1986, he led "the life of a salaried worker."

Today, he still works Monday to Friday as a manager in the corporate planning department of a Tokyo-based insurance company. On weekends he returns to Ibaraki to take up his family and museum responsibilities.

It's all a far cry from the centuries of absolute power the Tokugawas wielded after Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara in 1600. But though their circumstances may be reduced, the mystique of their heritage will surely envelop them for generations to come.