Surviving Wars

On December 26, 1542 (Tenbun 11), at the hour of the tiger (around 4:00 a.m.), a baby boy was born in Okazaki Castle. His childhood name was Takechiyo, and later Tokugawa Ieyasu. His father was Matsudaira Hirotada (17 years old), the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province, and his mother was Odai (15 years old), the daughter of Mizuno Tadamasa, the lord of Kariya Castle in Mikawa Province.

In September 1547 (Tenbun 16), Oda Nobuhide, the lord of Owari Province, invaded Mikawa Province, and Hirotada surrendered. Takechiyo was offered to the Oda family as a hostage. From this moment, his long life as a hostage began.

In March 1549 (Tenbun 18), when Imagawa Yoshimoto heard the news that Takechiyo's father, Hirotada, had been murdered by a vassal, he immediately dispatched his vassals to attack the Oda stronghold of Ansho Castle, and took Oda Nobuhiro, a son of Oda Nobuhide and an elder brother of Nobunaga with a different mother (concubine), prisoner. Then, an exchange of hostages (Oda Nobuhiro and Takechiyo) took place, and Takechiyo became a hostage of the Imagawa family.

In May 1560 (Eiroku 3), Imagawa Yoshimoto led a 25,000-strong army to invade Owari Province. It was during this time that the Battle of Okehazama took place. The two main armies of Oda and Imagawa fought at Okehazama, and Yoshimoto was killed.

Takechiyo had changed his name to Motoyasu after Genpuku (the ceremony of attaining adulthood). Motoyasu was resting after successfully bringing provisions to the Imagawa side's Odaka Castle (Midori-ku, Nagoya). The news of Yoshimoto's death came from Ieyasu's uncle, Mizuno Nobumoto, later that day. After confirming this information, Motoyasu left Odaka Castle and entered his family temple, Taijuji Temple, in Okazaki, Mikawa Province. When the Imagawa forces abandoned Okazaki Castle and retreated to Suruga, Ieyasu entered Okazaki Castle on the 23rd of the same month for the first time in about 11 years. He used Okazaki Castle as a base to reunite the Matsudaira clan and vassals, and from Eiroku 3 to 4, he placed the whole of Nishimikawa under his control.

In Eiroku 4, Motoyasu gave up on Imagawa Ujizane and reconciled with Oda Nobunaga, forming an alliance.

In March 1563 (Eiroku 6), Motoyasu's legitimate son, Takechiyo (Nobuyasu), and Nobunaga's daughter, Tokuhime, were betrothed, further strengthening the alliance with the Oda family. Meanwhile, Motoyasu changed his name to Ieyasu between June and October of the same year. In May of 1566 (Eiroku 9), Ieyasu achieved his long-held dream of pacifying the entire Mikawa province. At the end of the same year, he received the Imperial Court's permission to change his surname to Tokugawa and to be ordained and appointed jugoige mikawanokami.

In 1582 (Tensho 10), with the fall of the Takeda family, Ieyasu was given the whole of Suruga province by Nobunaga, and came to hold the three provinces of Mikawa, Totoumi, and Suruga. However, on June 2 of the same year, Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto. Ieyasu had visited Azuchi Castle to celebrate Nobunaga's victory in the battle against the Takeda army. Later, at Nobunaga's suggestion, Ieyasu went on a tour of the Kamigata region, and at the time of the Honnoji Incident, he was in Sakai, Izumi Province, where he received the news of Nobunaga's death.

In order to return to Okazaki Castle as soon as possible, Ieyasu attempted to return via Iga, and arrived at Okazaki castle on June 4. This is known as the "Igagoe (going through Iga Province)" by Ieyasu.

With the death of Nobunaga, Ieyasu became involved in a war with the Hojo clan and others. The war was at a standstill, but in October of the same year, at the urging of Nobunaga's sons, Nobuo and Nobutaka, a peace agreement was reached between the two armies. In addition to the three provinces of Mikawa, Totoumi, and Suruga, Ieyasu took Kai and southern Shinano, and grew to become a great feudal lord with possession of five provinces.