TOKUGAWA IEYASU: Founder of the 
TOKUGAWA SHOG. Tokugawa Ieyasu was a 
member of the MINAMOTO clan and a retainer 
of ODA NOBUNAGA, a candidate for the 
shogunate. When Oda Nobunaga was 
assassinated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 
Tokugawa changed his allegiance and even 
had himself appointed guardian for 
Toyotomi's young son and heir. He declared 
war on rival warlords, intent upon winning 
the shogunate for themselves, defeating them 
at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1603. As the 
most powerful man in JAPAN, Tokugawa then 
appointed himself SHOGUN and proceeded to 
eliminate his rivals. In 1605 he abdicated the 
shogunate in favor of his son, thereby 
establishing a dynasty and freeing himself of 
the duties of state so that he could consolidate 
his family's new-found power. In 1615 he 
eliminated the last members of Hideyoshi's 
family, thereby ensuring his family's reign.
	Although he was initially tolerant of 
foreigners in JAPAN and even encouraged 
trade with England, Tokugawa grew 
suspicious of the growing Japanese Christian 
population, which he could not count on for 
support. In 1614 he outlawed Christianity and 
destroyed the country's churches. Tokugawa 
himself was an ardent Confucianist, who 
organized his son's government on strict 
Confucian principles. (See also Japan article).