Background
Muneharu was the 20th son of Tokugawa Tsunanari by a concubine, and a great-great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
徳川 宗春
Muneharu was the 20th son of Tokugawa Tsunanari by a concubine, and a great-great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
He was the seventh Tokugawa lord of the Owari Domain, and one of the gosanke. During his lifetime, he rose to the junior third rank in the Imperial court, and held the titular office of Gon-Chūnagon (acting middle councilor). He was posthumously awarded the junior second rank and the office of Gon-Dainagon (acting great councilor).
A sister, Matsuhime, married Maeda Yoshinori, lord of the Kaga Domain, which was the richest domain in Japan outside the Tokugawa"s own holdings.
Muneharu did not marry, but had numerous concubines. Loss of power
Given to personal luxury, in 1731, Muneharu published a book, Onchiseiyō (温知政要), which criticized ruling shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune for his policy of excessive frugality.
In 1739, following a long dispute with Yoshimune, Muneharu was forced into retirement and confined within the grounds of Nagoya Castle. A relative succeeded him as lord of Owari, taking the name Tokugawa Munekatsu.
After the death of Yoshimune, Muneharu moved outside the palace grounds.
He died in 1764, but was not forgiven, and a metal Netto was placed over his grave to indicate his status. In the pupular television Asahi television series Abarenbō Shōgun, showing fictitious events in the life of the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, Muneharu was frequently presented as the villain, repeatedly trying to assassinate Yoshimune and take over the shogunate. Even when he did not appear, many smaller villains acted in his name, or planned to receive their reward from Muneharu when he became shogun.
He was first played by Akira Nakao and later by Tokuma Nishioka.
As with the series in general, while the background is historical the specific acts attributed in it to Muneharu are fictional.
