Eighth Tokugawa shogun
Tokugawa Yoshimune
徳川吉宗 · 1684–1751 · Edo period
Tokugawa Yoshimune (徳川吉宗) was the eighth shogun and the great reformer of the Edo period (1603–1868), when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled Japan. He was a careful, hands-on ruler who saved the government from going broke. In a quieter way, he also gave ordinary people the cherry blossom picnic they still enjoy today.
The reforming shogun
Yoshimune came to power in 1716 and found an empty treasury. So he launched the Kyōhō Reforms. He cut the spending of his own court. He promoted officials for their ability, not for their birth. He also set up a box where any subject could send him a request directly. He pushed for practical learning and eased the ban on foreign books. Through this small opening, Western science later found its way into Japan.
Blossoms for everyone
For a long time, viewing cherry blossoms had been a pleasure for the court and the rich. Yoshimune opened it up. He planted thousands of cherry trees along the Sumida River and on the hill of Asukayama. Ordinary townspeople could go there, spread a mat, eat, drink and enjoy the blossoms together. It was a reform of a different kind. A ruler made a shared pleasure part of the city on purpose, open to everyone. Today's busy, happy hanami owes a lot to him.
Portrait: Kanō Tadanobu · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
