Tokugawa Shogun policy towards Daimyo and its consequences

Abstract. The article assesses the relations between the political elites of Tokugawa–era Japan – shogun (rulers) and daimyo (feudal lords). Centralization and consolidation of power in Tokugawa Japan is the process that determined all its further development. Therefore, an analysis of the Tokugawa government's methods in relation to its main competitors is necessary to understand the development of the Japanese state in this period. The paper describes the policy of the Tokugawa shoguns aimed at truncating the power of the daimyo, in particular, "hostage-taking", confiscation and redistribution of lands, legislative restriction of the daimyo's powers. At the end of the work we give a description of the consequences of the Tokugawa policy: the transformation of the daimyo into a class practically unrelated to military affairs; the appearance of Ronin; the formation of favorable conditions for the future overthrow of the shogunate.

Keywords: Japan, Tokugawa era, Bakufu, shogun, daimyo, sankin kotai, Buke shohatto.

For citation: Kolesnikova E. А., Balakin D.A. Tokugawa Shogun policy towards Daimyo and its consequences. // Modern oriental studies. 2022; 4(3). P. (in Russ.). https://doi.org/ 10.24412/2686-9675-3-2022-108-117