The Tokugawa served as the [[Shogun|Shôgun]] of Japan from [[1603]] until [[1867]] and were therefore the longest - and most stable - of Japan's three [[Bakufu|bakufu]]. The Tokugawa's actual roots are obscure for while [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Ieyasu]] claimed descent from the Nitta and therefore the Seiwa-Minamoto, there seems to be little historical evidence of this. The genealogy Ieyasu commissioned claimed that a branch of the Kôzuke Nitta had taken the name Tokugawa and later transferred to [[Mikawa province]], where it was adopted into the [[Matsudaira clan]]. In fact, Ieyasu also maintained an alternate family history that suggested Fujiwara roots - which supports the supposition that the Tokugawa's early family tree was largely made out of whole cloth. The Tokugawa were 'officially' restored when Ieyasu petitioned the court to allow him to use the name Tokugawa in [[1566]]. | The Tokugawa served as the [[Shogun|Shôgun]] of Japan from [[1603]] until [[1867]] and were therefore the longest - and most stable - of Japan's three [[Bakufu|bakufu]]. The Tokugawa's actual roots are obscure for while [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Ieyasu]] claimed descent from the Nitta and therefore the Seiwa-Minamoto, there seems to be little historical evidence of this. The genealogy Ieyasu commissioned claimed that a branch of the Kôzuke Nitta had taken the name Tokugawa and later transferred to [[Mikawa province]], where it was adopted into the [[Matsudaira clan]]. In fact, Ieyasu also maintained an alternate family history that suggested Fujiwara roots - which supports the supposition that the Tokugawa's early family tree was largely made out of whole cloth. The Tokugawa were 'officially' restored when Ieyasu petitioned the court to allow him to use the name Tokugawa in [[1566]]. |