Changes

==Life and Career==

==Life and Career==

Sadanobu was born the son of [[Tokugawa Munetake|Tokugawa (Tayasu) Munetake]], and grandson of Shogun [[Tokugawa Yoshimune]]. He served for a time as lord of [[Shirakawa han|Shirakawa domain]] in [[Mutsu province]], and also studied for a time at the [[Kaitokudo|Kaitokudô]], a merchant academy in [[Osaka]], where he studied political economy under [[Nakai Chikuzan]].<ref>[[Luke Roberts]], ''Mercantilism in a Japanese Domain: The Merchant Origins of Economic Nationalism in 18th-Century Tosa'', Cambridge University Press (1998), 161.</ref>

Sadanobu was born the son of [[Tokugawa Munetake|Tokugawa (Tayasu) Munetake]], and grandson of Shogun [[Tokugawa Yoshimune]]. He served for a time as lord of [[Shirakawa han|Shirakawa domain]] in [[Mutsu province]], beginning in [[1783]], and also studied for a time at the [[Kaitokudo|Kaitokudô]], a merchant academy in [[Osaka]], where he studied political economy under [[Nakai Chikuzan]].<ref>[[Luke Roberts]], ''Mercantilism in a Japanese Domain: The Merchant Origins of Economic Nationalism in 18th-Century Tosa'', Cambridge University Press (1998), 161.</ref> In [[1784]], in order to help address severe food shortages being suffered by his domain, and the resulting peasant uprisings, Sadanobu erected a shrine dedicated to [[Matsudaira Sadatsuna]], founder of his lineage, within which Sadanobu placed a wooden image of Sadatsuna, a collection of objects associated with him, a copy of the house rules, and a document swearing his (Sadanobu's) dedication to fulfilling his obligations to his house.<ref name=rawski>Evelyn Rawski, ''Early Modern China and Northeast Asia: Cross-Border Perspectives'', Cambridge University Press (2015), 122.</ref>

Sadanobu was named to the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' in [[1786]]/6, and was named Tairô, or head of the ''rôjû'', the following year. He launched the [[Kansei Reforms]] that same year. Among the most famous or significant sets of Reforms of the Edo period, the Kansei Reforms aimed to restore a Confucian order and sense of propriety to society. Incorporating sumptuary laws alongside a number of other policies, they operated on the belief that if everyone in society performed their role correctly - if farmers acted like farmers, and merchants like merchants, and not like samurai - and refrained from extravagance, all of society would fall into place, peace and Order would reign, and prosperity would result. These policies were thus not guided by what we would today recognize as practical understandings of the laws of economics, but did manage to have some positive effect, unlike the disastrous monetary policies of some other Edo period efforts at Reforms.

Sadanobu was named to the ''[[roju|rôjû]]'' in [[1786]]/6, and was named Tairô, or head of the ''rôjû'', the following year. He launched the [[Kansei Reforms]] that same year. Among the most famous or significant sets of Reforms of the Edo period, the Kansei Reforms aimed to restore a Confucian order and sense of propriety to society. Incorporating sumptuary laws alongside a number of other policies, they operated on the belief that if everyone in society performed their role correctly - if farmers acted like farmers, and merchants like merchants, and not like samurai - and refrained from extravagance, all of society would fall into place, peace and Order would reign, and prosperity would result. These policies were thus not guided by what we would today recognize as practical understandings of the laws of economics, but did manage to have some positive effect, unlike the disastrous monetary policies of some other Edo period efforts at Reforms.

In [[1791]], Sadanobu was named ''kaihen osonae goyô gakari'' (official in charge of coastal preparedness). He began implementing a variety of policies aimed at strengthening coastal defenses in [[Ezo]], in the waters around [[Edo]], and throughout the domains. In addition to requiring ''daimyô'' to report on their defense preparations, Sadanobu rolled back plans put into place under [[Tanuma Okitsugu]] to expand agricultural development of Ezo. Seeing these northern regions as a buffer zone against Russian incursions, he established a new post, the ''[[hokkoku gundai]]'' ("Warden of the North"), to oversee the defense of territories in northern Honshû, including the [[Hirosaki han|Tsugaru]] and [[Morioka han|Nanbu domains]].<ref>Mitani, 11.</ref>

In [[1791]], Sadanobu was named ''kaihen osonae goyô gakari'' (official in charge of coastal preparedness). He began implementing a variety of policies aimed at strengthening coastal defenses in [[Ezo]], in the waters around [[Edo]], and throughout the domains. In addition to requiring ''daimyô'' to report on their defense preparations, Sadanobu rolled back plans put into place under [[Tanuma Okitsugu]] to expand agricultural development of Ezo. Seeing these northern regions as a buffer zone against Russian incursions, he established a new post, the ''[[hokkoku gundai]]'' ("Warden of the North"), to oversee the defense of territories in northern Honshû, including the [[Hirosaki han|Tsugaru]] and [[Morioka han|Nanbu domains]].<ref>Mitani, 11.</ref>

Sadanobu also conducted a personal tour of the [[Izu peninsula|Izu]] and [[Miura peninsula]]s, as part of efforts to coordinate the defense of the areas surrounding Edo. However, upon his return to the city in 1793/7, he was informed that he had been relieved of his duties and was forced to step down from the ''rôjû'' council. He was then promoted to an honorary but far less influential position in the ''Tamari no ma''. It was standard for top officials to periodically submit notice of their resignation to the shogun, so that the shogun's refusal of the request could be seen as re-affirming them in their position; at this time, Sadanobu's notice of resignation, normally just a formality, was actually accepted. Historian [[Mitani Hiroshi]] suggests possible reasons for his dismissal included his frequent unilateral action without consulting the young Shogun [[Tokugawa Ienari|Tokugawa Ienari's]] regents<ref>Inari's father [[Hitotsubashi Harusada]], along with the ''daimyô'' of [[Owari han]] [[Tokugawa Munechika]] and of [[Mito han]] [[Tokugawa Harumori]].</ref>, or the excessively ambitious scope of his plans for Edo's coastal defenses. Responsibility for foreign policy and coastal defenses was then given over to ''wakadoshiyori'' [[Hotta Masaatsu]] and ''kattegakari rôjû'' [[Toda Ujinori]].<ref>Mitani, 11-12.</ref>

Sadanobu also conducted a personal tour of the [[Izu peninsula|Izu]] and [[Miura peninsula]]s, as part of efforts to coordinate the defense of the areas surrounding Edo. However, upon his return to the city in 1793/7, he was informed that he had been relieved of his duties and was forced to step down from the ''rôjû'' council. He was then promoted to an honorary but far less influential position in the ''Tamari no ma''. It was standard for top officials to periodically submit notice of their resignation to the shogun, so that the shogun's refusal of the request could be seen as re-affirming them in their position; at this time, Sadanobu's notice of resignation, normally just a formality, was actually accepted. Historian [[Mitani Hiroshi]] suggests possible reasons for his dismissal included his frequent unilateral action without consulting the young Shogun [[Tokugawa Ienari|Tokugawa Ienari's]] regents<ref>Inari's father [[Hitotsubashi Harusada]], along with the ''daimyô'' of [[Owari han]] [[Tokugawa Munechika]] and of [[Mito han]] [[Tokugawa Harumori]].</ref>, or the excessively ambitious scope of his plans for Edo's coastal defenses. Responsibility for foreign policy and coastal defenses was then given over to ''wakadoshiyori'' [[Hotta Masaatsu]] and ''kattegakari rôjû'' [[Toda Ujinori]].<ref>Mitani, 11-12.</ref>