SAMURAI WISDOM- DOG SHOGUN TOKUGAWA TSUNAYOSHI - Time and Tide

This 1989 children's history textbook notes something unusual about a certain Edo period shogun. He was called the dog shogun. Indeed, dogs were particularly important to him. He even executed those who mistreated them. This caricature probably depicts the same shogun. It captures his nickname perfectly. Tokugawa family records warned those who came after him not to follow his example. The fifth Tokugawa shogun. His name was Tsunayoshi. Was he really as unusual as the textbook says? To find out, we'll need to separate fact from fiction. Japan, home of the samurai. They were much more than mighty warriors, also possessed of surpassing wisdom. A wisdom they would use to change their world and bring forth a new era of peace. A wisdom bequeathed to the people of modern day Japan. Samurai wisdom. Tsunayoshi became shogun in 1680, 65 years after the fall of Osaka castle ushered in Tokugawa supremacy. Memories of Japan's long civil war were beginning to fade. In an era without war, Tsunayoshi took up the mantle of shogun, thanks to a twist of fate. He was born as the fourth son of Iemitsu, the third shogun. At 35, fate tapped him on the shoulder. The fourth shogun, Tsunayoshi's eldest brother, died without an heir. Tsunayoshi's other brothers died early as well, and so the mantle of shogun passed to him. After becoming shogun, Tsunayoshi issued an edict. Should pests like bears, boars, or wolves threaten your cows, horses, dogs, cats, or chickens, drive them away without harming them. He issued a stream of edicts, demanding compassion for animals. Take care that no dog is struck by a cart. Lame horses must not be abandoned. During his nearly 30-year reign, Tsunayoshi issued over a hundred edicts. The same message appeared in many of them. Living creatures must be treated with compassion. The shogun's collected edicts were given a title, The Laws of Compassion. Tsunayoshi's servants carried copies of the laws, with page after page of detailed instructions, especially for dealing with dogs. If you see dogs fighting, stand between them. If they persist, splash water near them, but take care not to splash them directly. If they persist, splash water on them, but take care not to splash their eyes or ears. In this bird's eye depiction of Edo from the time, we see two large dogs being walked. The people seem to shrink from them in fear. In another depiction, dogs bark while passers-by shy away. Those who ignored Tsunayoshi's laws of compassion and abused an animal faced severe punishment. Almost half of Tsunayoshi's edicts promised retribution for anyone mistreating a canine. A bemused public started calling him the Dog Shogun. The nickname survives in modern school textbooks. Tsunayoshi drew more criticism for one of his decisions. Senkakuji Temple, established in the early Edo period. 47 ronin, masterless samurai, are buried here. Every December, reenactors dressed like the ronin offer prayers at the tomb of their lord. They avenged their lord three centuries ago. Their story is known to everyone in Japan, but Tsunayoshi's handling of the incident tarnished his reputation. The shogun ordered the daimyo of a small domain in western Japan to arrange a proper reception at Edo Castle for envoys from the emperor. The details are uncertain, but it seems that after being insulted, the daimyo nearly killed a court official who was advising him on etiquette. Although the official survived, the penalty for drawing a weapon in the shogun's castle was death. The daimyo was forced to commit ritual suicide. His clan was dispossessed and his retainers were expelled from their domain. The samurai code would have held both men responsible for the incident, but only the daimyo was punished. A year later, the 47 ronin, his loyal former retainers, attacked in the dead of night. The guards were cut down and their lord's enemy was beheaded. The revenge of the 47 ronin drew widespread public approval. Oishi Manabu, a well-known expert in the history and customs of the Edo period, takes us back in time. Kira said that Asano was the only one who had a sound screen, so we had high hopes that Asano would be executed. We did what everyone had been waiting for, and the people of Edo applauded us. But Tsunayoshi had warned against vendetta, and they had to be punished. They were ordered to commit ritual suicide. His decision has provoked controversy ever since. Tsunayoshi's obsession with animal welfare and his punishment of the 47 ronin tarnished his reputation. And until recently, that reputation was largely unchallenged. But some scholars are taking a fresh look at Tsunayoshi. In 2006, Beatrice Bodart Bailey published an in-depth look at the fifth shogun and his era. Why did this particular shogun spark such interest in an international historian? When I first started my research on Tsunayoshi, which was a long time ago, nearly half a century, his reputation was very bad. But I was familiar with the work of the German Dr. Engelbert Kempfer, who had quite described him in very favorable terms. In 1690, a German physician visited Japan. His name was Engelbert Kempfer. He left a detailed record of his visit, including an audience with the shogun. Shogun Tsunayoshi is a great and excellent ruler. He adheres strictly to the law and shows deep compassion for his people. As Bodart Bailey examined Kempfer's account of Tsunayoshi's edicts, she made a discovery. He stopped hawking because when previously the daimyo went on hawking and hunting, they would destroy all the fields and then the farmers would be left without a harvest and then they would have to become slaves or die of hunger. Tsunayoshi's laws of compassion banned falconry, which was a traditional practice for samurai. But he did it to protect farmers' livelihoods. Bodart Bailey's research contains many insights into Tsunayoshi's character. When people or livestock fell seriously ill, it was common to abandon them, a practice which he severely punished. Palanquins were a luxury forbidden to commoners, but Tsunayoshi allowed travelers, the elderly, the sick, and women and children to use them. He decreed that abandoned children should be cared for and even encouraged adoption. Under the laws of compassion, child abandonment was strictly forbidden. Bodart Bailey says this was in response to the rapid urbanization and population growth during the 17th and 18th centuries. People streamed to the cities, especially young women, who thought they could earn some good money as maids, where without the protection they enjoyed in the country from their family, where everybody knew each other. Tsunayoshi decreed that women unable to properly care for their children should receive help, and that all children born should be registered and cared for by the community. Many of his edicts were designed to protect society's most vulnerable. And he extended this protection to animals, especially dogs. In a quiet corner of this Tokyo park stands a group of dogs in bronze. On this site, Tsunayoshi built one of several huge shelters for stray dogs. The grounds sprawled across a square kilometer. Maps from then and now show the size of the kennel. A hundred thousand dogs were kept here. The cost to feed and care for them was enormous. A replica of something used there is on display at this museum. Tsunayoshi's response to those 47 avenging samurai can also be seen in a different light. With a legitimate grievance and permission from the shogunate, taking a life could be permitted. But the killing of a high shogunate official and his guards was clearly a crime. The ronin must have known that they would be beheaded like common criminals. In a sense, Tsunayoshi showed them mercy. His decision preserved their honor as warriors. Ten years after becoming shogun, Tsunayoshi built the great educational center. The shogun himself taught here. His subject was Confucianism. Tsunayoshi was never expected to become shogun. As a child, he was raised more as a scholar than a warrior. The Chinese philosopher Confucius taught that rulers should treat their subjects with benevolence. Tsunayoshi demonstrated his commitment to Confucianism when he became a shogun. The laws for the military houses were Tokugawa edicts that defined proper conduct for samurai. Tsunayoshi revised the first article, its most important. The original first article stated that samurai should work to enhance their martial skills. Tsunayoshi revised it to add a Confucian perspective. With loyalty to one's lord, filial piety, and propriety, samurai should revere order. The edicts were passed by the Edo shogunate. In order to preserve the edicts, the law is very important. Everyone should understand the law and follow it. That's how we change the course of history. He used Confucian principles to change the way samurai thought about society, stressing the power of laws over the power of arms. The Confucian spirit spread in many ways. Around this time, Edo faced a major challenge, a serious shortage of vegetables. The population was exploding, but the supply of vegetables was completely inadequate. Fish could be caught in nearby Edo Bay. Rice and miso could be brought by ship from all over Japan. But vegetables didn't stay fresh for long, and farmers close to Edo couldn't meet the demand. Tsunayoshi ordered farmers to start cultivating a certain vegetable that is still grown today in Tokyo. This field is about 10 kilometers from where Edo Castle once stood. A jumbo daikon radish. Farmers here have been growing them for generations. Tsunayoshi wanted to encourage farming closer to the center of Edo. He prized these daikon for their size and edible leaves. Ohtake Michishige studies vegetables cultivated since the Edo period. He explains a local legend about the daikon radish. The harvested daikon were processed for long-term storage and solved the shortage of vegetables. This species of daikon is cultivated by farmers today. Combine dried daikon, salt and rice bran in a container and let them ferment for about two weeks. After two weeks, the daikon is ready to be harvested. After fermentation is complete, the pickled daikon can be stored for weeks. Flavorful pickled daikon has been a side dish for rice since the Edo period. Packing the daikon in rice bran adds a generous amount of vitamin B1. In fact, Tsunayoshi had a reason for his interest in vegetables. Third shogun Iemitsu was Tsunayoshi's father. To ensure he left a successor, he recruited concubines from the families of commoners. Tsunayoshi's mother was one of those commoners. Her father was a green grocer in Kyoto. Tsunayoshi promoted the expansion of agricultural production outward from the center of Edo. His approach to allocating land to settlers was distinctive. This is Iruma in Saitama Prefecture. Farmland is divided into long, narrow fields. The farmers' plots were roughly 70 meters wide by 700 meters long. Farmers were required to divide their land into living space, fields and woodland. The woodland was of particular importance. In late autumn, farmers would gather the fallen leaves. The leaves were mixed with soil and composted for over a year. Compost spread over the fields promoted crop growth and good drainage. Roots spreading deep in the soft soil produced delicious vegetables. Volunteers come from all over to gather fallen leaves, preserving this traditional farming practice. 300 years later, Tsunayoshi's approach is still followed by farmers. In later years, other vegetables with excellent keeping properties, like these sweet potatoes, were cultivated and delivered to Edo by boat. Tsunayoshi died in 1709, age 64. Several days later, before the funeral ceremonies ended, his laws of compassion were set aside. The giant dog kennels were closed. Those in prison for mistreating animals were pardoned. Little by little, Tsunayoshi's legacy was erased. Bodart Bailey believes his ideals were too difficult for the samurai of his day to accept. The samurai had the right to kill ordinary people for whatever they thought was proper. So the laws Tsunayoshi enacted, that they were not allowed to kill an animal, not even a dog which was in their way, was a great shock to them and not appreciated and felt it was their duty to oppose them and, of course, criticize them in later writings that nobody, no other ruler ever felt they wanted to admire and imitate Tsunayoshi. After Tsunayoshi's passing, a certain trend accelerated in Japan. Terakoya, or temple schools. The children of commoners would gather at temples or private residences to learn reading, writing, and Confucian basics. After the fall of the shogunate, the terakoya became the basis for elementary schools in the modern educational system. Today's historians are starting to take a fresh look at Tsunayoshi's achievements. A recent Japanese textbook puts it this way. Tsunayoshi, shogun by law. He encouraged learning, promoted Confucianism, protected abandoned children and the elderly, and worked to change the spirit of warfare. Caring for animals, protecting children and the elderly, helping the sick and handicapped, and enjoying fresh vegetables year-round are things now taken for granted. What would Tsunayoshi think if he saw Japan today?