Ieyasu became Shogun when he was 62 years old. His children were born in the war eras and had a hard time growing up.
His first son, Nobuyasu. When he was 21, Ieyasu commanded him to commit suicide. The reason for the incident was not clear. In those days, Nobunaga Oda was the most powerful feudal lord. Ieyasu was a retainer of Oda. It is believed that Nobuyasu tried to betray Oda and Tokugawa. To show the loyalty to Oda, Ieyasu needed to kill his heir. Around that time, Tsukiyama, Nobuyasu’s mother was also killed, because she was considered an accomplice of her son.
His second son, Hideyasu, was adopted by the Toyotomi family to prove the peace between the Toyotomis and the Tokugawas. He passed away when he was 34 years old.
The third son Hidetada became the second Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
His fourth son, Tadayoshi, and his fifth son, Nobuyoshi, both passed away when they were 22 years old.
His Sixth son was Tadateru. Tadateru was a brilliant man, but Ieyasu hated this son without clear reasons. Even when Ieyasu was on the point of death, he refused to see Tadateru.
However, recently, some scholars said that Ieyasu disowned Tadateru because Ieyasu secretly made Tadateru work as an objective watchdog of the Shogunate. In addition, Ieyasu might have prepared for attacks by other feudal lords. Even if the Tokugawa family was defeated, Tadateru could survive and restore the family.
As a matter of fact, Ieyasu gave an important flute to Tadateru. It had been owned by Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu. It was a flute that had been owned by the most powerful lords in those eras. Some scholars said that the flute was the evidence of Ieyasu's trust to Tadateru.
This flute is preserved in Teishoin-temple in Suwa city, where Tadateru lived in his later years. He passed away when he was 92 years old.
His seventh son, Matsuchiyo, his eighth son Senchiyo, both passed away when they were two years old.
His ninth son, Yoshinao, his tenth son, Yorinobu, and the eleventh son, Yorifusa, became the three important branches of the Tokugawas family.
photo: Kitain-temple in Kawagoe city