Background
Ienari Tokugawa was born on 18 November 1773 in Edo. He was the eldest son of Hitotsu- bashi Haruzumi, being born in the latter’s Edo residence. His mother was the daughter of Iwamoto Masatoshi. In his childhood he was known by the name loyochiyo. In 1781 he became the adopted son of the tenth shogun, Tokugawa Ieharu, residing in the Nishinomaru section of Edo Castle, and when Ieharu died in 1787, he succeeded him as shogun.
Career
Being a shogun he thereupon dismissed the roju (councilors of state) who had held power under his predecessor and summoned Matsudaira Sadanobu, lord of the fief of Shirakawa in present-day Fukushima Prefecture, to be head councilor.
In 1837 Ienari turned over the position of shogun to his son Ieyoshi and again took up residence in the Nishinomaru section of the castle, but he continued to exercise power from behind the scenes.
His rule as shogun lasted for a total of fifty years and appeared on the surface to be a peaceful and oideily one, though in fact the farmers were growing poorer and more hard-pressed than ever, city life was marked by corruption and decadence, and the Tokugawa shogunate was showing an increasing inability to cope with the problems of government.