Contesting Genji Lineage Legitimacy

History Beneath Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Ideological Roots

Continuing from the previous article, this time we will explore how the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康, 1542-1616), who laid the foundations of the Edo period, creatively remixed both old and new concepts based on his unique understanding of history, ultimately establishing the long-lasting system of the Edo Shogunate.

In yesterday’s article, I discussed the meticulous preparations made by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1566 when he received the surname “Tokugawa” (徳川) from the Imperial Court. He strategically claimed his lineage, the Matsudaira clan, as the legitimate mainstream of the Minamoto or Genji lineage (源氏), thus preparing the legitimacy of Tokugawa rule even before establishing the shogunate. Personally, among the Sengoku-era warlords, I see Ieyasu as an exceptionally knowledgeable historian who patiently and calmly assessed situations, ultimately rising to the apex as a uniquely intellectual figure, making him complex yet profoundly fascinating.

But what exactly did Ieyasu see as the “legitimate Minamoto lineage”? And what significance did lineage hold during the chaotic Sengoku period when warlords (daimyo) rose across Japan? By interpreting Ieyasu’s perspective, an intriguing historical narrative emerges. Thus, focusing on the successive shogunates of Kamakura → Muromachi → Edo, we will examine the backdrop that led to the peculiar era in which Japan came to have two simultaneous emperors.