ABSTRACT
In 1745, Shōgun Yoshimune turned over the shogunate to his son, Ieshige, but he remained the de facto ruler until his death in 1751. An invalid with a serious speech defect, Ieshige proved to be a rather ineffective shōgun. During the reign of the next shōgun, Ieharu, chamberlain Tanuma Okitsugu and his son became influential figures and wielded great power. In fact, during the last fourteen years of Ieharu’s reign, Okitsugu, acting as senior councilor, held near dictatorial power. As a result, Ieharu’s regime (1760–1786) is referred to as the Tanuma era.
