This new special exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum focuses on how the Tokugawa shogunate was formed. Displays include objects linked to the shogunal family, which ruled Japan for over 250 years.
Even though there were 15 ruling Tokugawa shoguns throughout the Edo period (1603-1868), not all of them were direct descendants from the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The lineage of the original Tokugawa family ended with the seventh shogun Tokugawa Ietsugu.
After Ietsugu’s death, successors from Tokugawa branch families were next in line. Later shoguns came from the Gosanke noble family Kii and the Gosankyo noble family Hitotsubashi. The exhibit’s main focus is on these aristocrats from outside the Tokugawa family who joined the clan and helped maintain its power. You can pay a visit to this special exhibition between January 2 and March 6 to learn more.
Good news: you’ll have free entry to the museum and the special exhibition on January 2 and 3 2022.