Tokugawa Yoshimune: The Reforming Shogun

Meet the eighth Tokugawa shogun, who tightened budgets, opened the door to Western books and left behind a public clinic that grew into a garden.

Published October 22, 2026 at 1:48 AM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684 to 1751) was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, ruling from 1716 until he retired in 1745. He launched the Kyoho Reforms, which stressed frugality, rice and finance, and he relaxed the ban on most Western books, encouraging Dutch learning. A clinic created during his rule grew into today's Koishikawa Botanical Garden.

Some shoguns are remembered for castles and battles, and others for the quiet work of running a country well. Tokugawa Yoshimune belongs firmly in the second group. He came to power from a side branch of the family, inherited a government short of money, and set about practical improvements that people still discuss almost three centuries later. This guide explains who he was, what his reforms tried to do, and which places in Tokyo still carry his mark.

From Kii Domain to the Shogun's Seat

Yoshimune was born in 1684 in Kii Province, in the area that is now Wakayama Prefecture, and he was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada of the Kii branch of the family. This branch was one of the three Tokugawa houses known as the gosanke, which were eligible to supply a shogun if the main line ran out of heirs. He became the daimyo, or feudal lord, of Kii in 1705.

Kii at that time carried heavy debt, and a tsunami in 1707 caused further damage. Managing those challenges gave Yoshimune early practice in the kind of careful budgeting he would later apply to the whole country. Many historians see his Kii years as the training ground for his reforms.

In 1716 the seventh shogun, Ietsugu, died without an heir, and the shogunate chose Yoshimune as the eighth shogun. He moved to Edo, the shogun's capital, and took on a government that needed steady leadership. His tenure lasted until 1745.

The Kyoho Reforms

The Kyoho Reforms, named after the Kyoho era of 1716 to 1736, were a program that Yoshimune led mainly from 1722 to 1730. They touched finance, trade, farming and administration. Later reform movements, the Kansei and Tenpo reforms among them, followed in his footsteps.

Frugality was a central theme. Yoshimune cut court luxuries, and he reduced the number of hereditary retainers on fixed stipends by generally declining to allow inheritance of those positions past the first generation. He also promoted education and took steps against corruption.

The shogunate also worked with merchant guilds so it could regulate and tax trade more effectively. Yoshimune relaxed the alternate-attendance rules that required daimyo to spend time in Edo, easing a financial burden on the domains. Assessments differ on how well each measure worked, but the program is widely seen as an energetic effort to put the government's finances on firmer ground.

Rice, Crops and Prices

In the Edo period, the main source of government income was a tax on agricultural produce, and rice was the standard measure of wealth. It is no surprise that Yoshimune focused on farming. He encouraged the opening of new land and promoted crops such as sweet potatoes and sugarcane, which could grow in soil that was not suited to rice.

Rice prices were another concern. In 1730 the shogunate officially recognized the Dojima Rice Market in Osaka, appointed supervisors to oversee it and collected taxes. The market became an important financial institution, and rice exchanges of this kind later helped lead to modern securities trading.

Rice prices did fall during the middle of the Kyoho era, which the sources connect with improved agricultural production. Natural events such as the famine of 1732 later tested the system. The shogunate's response was only partly successful, as is often the case when a government faces weather it cannot control.

Opening the Door to Western Learning

One of Yoshimune's most influential decisions came in 1720, when he relaxed the ban on foreign books. Books relating to Christianity remained forbidden, but other Western works could now be imported. The change encouraged rangaku, or Dutch learning, the study of European science, medicine and geography through Dutch texts.

Japan at that time limited foreign contact, and the main window to the West was the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki. Yoshimune had a large globe made and imported a telescope from the Netherlands, which shows his personal curiosity about science.

Rangaku would grow into an important scholarly movement in the following century. The path to that movement ran through decisions like this one: a small policy change that gave scholars access to new ideas. It is a reminder that reform can mean opening a door as well as tightening a budget.

The Suggestion Box and the Koishikawa Clinic

Yoshimune is also remembered for listening to ordinary people. He kept a suggestion box where townspeople could submit petitions. One of those petitions came from a town doctor named Ogawa Tadafune, who asked for a medical clinic to help the lower classes.

Yoshimune received the petition and had the town magistrate Ooka Tadasuke set up the clinic, which opened in 1722 as the Koishikawa Yojosho. The garden's grounds took in the site of a former villa belonging to an earlier shogun, Tsunayoshi. It is among the best-known examples of public welfare in the Edo period.

The site is now the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, operated by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science. The medicinal herb garden there was established in 1684 and moved to Koishikawa from earlier gardens in Azabu. Visitors who enjoy plants and history should check the official site for opening times before they go.

Swords, Law and Family Branches

Yoshimune had a strong interest in swords. In 1721 he held a swordsmith contest and ordered the compilation of the Kyoho Meibutsu Cho, a catalog of famous swords. The catalog remains a reference for sword scholars and collectors.

He also helped develop the first law code of the Tokugawa era. A later code, completed after his death, built on that foundation and brought a more humane approach to law. The work shows how the Tokugawa government gradually turned practice into written rules.

To secure the succession, he created three new family lines, the Tayasu, Hitotsubashi and Shimizu houses, collectively called the gosankyo. These houses could supply a shogun if the main line failed, in much the same way the Kii branch had supplied him. The system proved useful in later generations.

Retirement and Legacy

In 1745 Yoshimune retired in favor of his eldest son, Ieshige, and took the title Ogosho, a name for a retired shogun who retains influence. He continued to guide the government until his death in Edo in 1751, at the age of sixty-six. He was buried at Kan'eiji.

Historians still debate how great a reformer he was. The reforms revitalized government for a time, but problems such as inefficiency returned after his reign, and later shoguns tried again with the Kansei and Tenpo reforms. A balanced view sees him as a capable, curious leader who made lasting improvements in several areas.

Perhaps his best legacy is cultural rather than political. The openness to foreign books, the public clinic and the lively debate over how best to govern all helped shape the long peace of the Edo period. For a visitor to Tokyo, a stroll through the Koishikawa garden is a pleasant way to meet his story.

Where to Learn More

Travelers interested in Yoshimune can combine history with sightseeing. The Koishikawa Botanical Garden is the most direct link, and Edo-period collections at major Tokyo museums add context for the age. In Wakayama, the story of the Kii branch gives a regional view of how the family produced a shogun.

For background reading, a good approach is to start with a short overview of the Edo period and then follow the threads that interest you: rice markets, Dutch learning or medicine. Each thread leads to a different part of Japan, from Osaka to Nagasaki to Edo.

Whichever path you take, it helps to remember that Yoshimune was a person as well as a title. His reforms were driven by practical questions that many leaders still ask: how to balance a budget, how to feed a population and how to learn from the wider world.

Want to go deeper? Tokyo Paul's book Manga-Style Japanese History: Shoguns, Samurai & Sake is available on Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Tokugawa Yoshimune known for?

Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa shogun (ruled 1716 to 1745), is known for the Kyoho Reforms, which focused on frugality, finance, rice and administration. He also relaxed the ban on most foreign books, supported Dutch learning, and kept a suggestion box that led to the Koishikawa clinic in 1722.

What were the Kyoho Reforms?

The Kyoho Reforms were a program of government reform led mainly from 1722 to 1730, named after the Kyoho era. They emphasized frugality, support for farming, recognition of the Dojima Rice Market, merchant guilds and relaxed alternate-attendance rules. Sources describe the results as partly successful.

Is there a place in Tokyo connected with Yoshimune?

Yes. The Koishikawa Botanical Garden in Tokyo grew out of the Koishikawa Yojosho clinic, which Yoshimune ordered created in 1722 after a petition in his suggestion box. It is operated by the University of Tokyo, so check the official site for opening times and any advance booking.

Further Reading

To explore further, see Tokugawa Yoshimune, Tokugawa Yoshimune at Britannica and Koishikawa Botanical Garden.

Keep Exploring

More guides from Tokyo Paul: The Edo Period: When Peace Shaped Japanese Culture, How the Tokugawa Shogunate Ruled: Bakufu, Domains and the Samurai Class and Yakiimo: Roasted Sweet Potatoes.