Dallas Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1984 Page: 17
29 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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idle o Geniji, detail
Tokugawa Art Museum, JapanShogun and Daimyo
(from the exhibition catalog)
A daimvo is a samurai and a military leader. Preceding
the Edo period, that is to saN; until the battle of Sekigahara
in 1600, a daimvo acquired and maintained his status
primarily through force, relying on the fighting ability of
the retainers under his command.
However, with the appointment of Tokugawa Ieyasu as
Sei-i-tai-shogun in 1603 and the establishment of the
shogunate in Edo, daimvos were no longer able to use
armed force on their own initiative without the consent
of the shogun. Ieyasu implemented the following four
economic policies in order to establish absolute com-
mand over the numerous daimvo in the new
administration:
1) Land survey
2) The separation of soldier from farmer
3) Monopoly over the right to mint coinage
4) Monopoly over the right to trade
In the new order, if a daimvo disobeyed the shogun's
commands in this respect, he would be forced to relin-
quish his fief and lose his status as a daimvo. The twohundred sixty-five years of peace that
continued until 1868 was maintained
through the absolute authority of the
Tokugawa shogun.The foundations for this two and a half centuries of
peace were laid by Ieyasu who, in the opening articles of
his last instructions addressed to the daimvos, admon-
ished them to endeavor in both the literary and military
arts. With the advent of peace, a daimyo was no longer
simply a military commander, it was also demanded that
he be a competent administrator. Thus Ieyasu intended
that they should apply themselves not only to the military
arts, but also to the various scholarly fields that would
serve as the basis for their administrative duties. It can be
said with justification that not even the slightest threat of
war marred this long period of peace - a period in
which the daimvo followed the dictates of the age, and
the emphasis was placed on the literary rather than the
military arts.
Once the duties of the Edo period daimyo were regu-
lated in this manner, and literary pursuits took prece-
dence over military matters in daily administration and
self-cultivation, changes occurred in the types of articles
accumulated for daily use and for display during official
functions and their relative importance. Taking into
account the altered role and character of the daimvo in
the Edo period, the articles in his possession can be
surveyed in the following manner.
A daimvo's possessions are divided into the two princi-
pal categories of omote-dogu (official articles) and oku-
dogu (private articles). The omote-dogu consisted of
arms and armor kept in readiness in accordance with the
income and status of the lord of the fief, and books and
accoutrements for actual use or for the ornamentation
required on formal occasions. The oku-dogu consisted of
articles used in the private life and pastimes of the
daimvo himself, as well as the members of his household.
Yoshinobu Tokugawa
Honorary Chairman
The Shogun Age Exhibition
Executive Committee
Director
The Tokugaua Art Museum)'
P alanqttuin
Tokugawa Art Mluseum, japan r
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Dallas Museum of Art. Dallas Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1984, periodical, Spring 1984; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth224954/m1/19/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dallas Museum of Art.