The Old Badger

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"The Old Badger"

A proven lawmaker, Tokugawa Ieyasu Shogun received the nickname "The Old Badger" for his contributions to the prosperity of Japan in the seventeenth century. His memoirs, entitled "Legacy of Ieyasu," advanced the society of Japan for centuries through the betterment of those who would succeed him. Esteemed twentieth-century scholars, such as George Sansom and Edwin O. Reischauer, explore the success of Ieyasu’s controversial imperial legal codes and the effects they had on the history of Japan in Makers of World History. Through the instructions of Ieyasu and the studies of today’s scholars, it can be established that Ieyasu was, conceptually, a good ruler; however, questions surround his political policies and the effects they had on the influential society of Japan.

Ieyasu promoted a number of leadership principles for government in "Legacy of Ieyasu." His instructions set forth a governmental structure supported by a number of orders, edicts and codes that regulated the people of Japan through an imperial court of justice. Due to Ieyasu’s strong belief in the power of punishment, his regime supported the idea that "justice" should be delivered through example, and the courts should administer sentences in accordance with this fundamental policy. Finally, Ieyasu’s writings promoted his remaining principles of government through four general themes: Confucian ideals; the roles of benevolence, compassion, and personal conduct in government; the Tokugawan structure of the vassalage; and the Tokugawan cautions on the overt use of the military (72).

Ieyasu focused the first of his principles on the effects of Confucian theories and their relation to the Chinese government. He felt that a good leader’s go...

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... proved itself to be both highly informative and insightful into the systematic strategies of Tokugawa Ieyasu Shogun through its use of both the primary source of Ieyasu and the secondary source of modern day scholars, Sansom and Reischauer. Despite the fact that even "The Old Badger" had his faults, Ieyasu gave practical strategies to the Japanese, promoting the welfare and prosperity of his people for centuries to come.

Works Cited

Ieyasu. Tokugawa. "The Legacy." Makers of World History, Volume 2. Ed. J. Kelly Sowards. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995: 71-75.

Reischauer, Edwin O. "A More Cautious View." Makers of World History, Volume 2. Ed. J. Kelly Sowards. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995: 79-84.

Sanson, George. "Tokugawa’s Practical Revolution." Makers of World History, Volume 2. Ed. J. Kelly Sowards. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995: 76-78.

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