The Tokugawa family rose from obscure origins to establish the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868) under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu. This shogunate was the climax of the reunification process which put an end to the great turmoil of the Warring States period; the Edo period which followed (named after the Tokugawa capital of Edo, now called Tokyo) saw long peace, great growth and development, and the emergence of nationalism. The family was very extended, but consisted in the main of the shogun’s family, three branch families who provided heirs to the shogun’s branch if needed, and three other, younger branch families. Fifteen shoguns came out of this extended family. When the shogunate was ended in 1868, the main family was reduced to daimyo status. It has remained wealthy, but not powerful in the modern period.
