The isolationist policy of the Tokugawa-shogunate

[Fred27]

Is we all know, the Tokugawa shogunate enforced a strict isolationist policy during their years in power. But was Tokugawa Ieyasu the main advocate for this policy? I seem to recall reading Ieyasu preferred western contact, (except with the Portugese and spanish), and that it was actually his son or grandson that drafted the more drastic of the isolationist laws.

Any reply apreciated.

[don]

Is we all know, the Tokugawa shogunate enforced a strict isolationist policy during their years in power. But was Tokugawa Ieyasu the main advocate for this policy? I seem to recall reading Ieyasu preferred western contact, (except with the Portugese and spanish), and that it was actually his son or grandson that drafted the more drastic of the isolationist laws.

Any reply apreciated.

Hope you'll get someone who, unlike you and me, is actually willing to research it, but IIRC it was grandson Iemitsu who clamped down after the Shimabara Revolt, which is normally considered a Christian revolt but has been explained as a tax revolt, too.

[Karasu Maru]

Ieyasu positively promoted the trade with various foreign countries at first.
After the ship Liefde (Love) arrived off the coast of Bungo(A.D.1600), he adopted the opinion of William Adams employed as a diplomatic adviser of the shogunate, and limited the trade with Spain and Portugal.
http://www.pauline.or.jp/history/e-history04.html

This policy was succeeded to his son Hidetada and grandchild Iemitsu, and the national isolation policy was completed in Iemitsu's age.

[P Goldsbury]

The Shimabara Rebellion took place in 1637-38, but the restriction of foreign ships and trade to Nagasaki and the prohibition of Japanese residing abroad from returning home (commonly referred to as the sakoku laws) were enacted in 1635. Portuguese ships were prohibited from calling at Japanese ports in 1639.

Tokugawa Iemitsu was shogun from 1623 till 1651.

[Michael Wert]

Also, the idea that the Tokugawa "enforced a strict isolationist policy" is a bit old textbook. Read Ron Toby's State and Diplomacy in Early Modern Japan published in 1984 for more on this topic. One could say that the Tokugawa period was relatively isolated compared to premodern Japan, but people were getting in and out of Japan (as were ideas and all kinds of foreigners) throughout the 17th, 18th and of course 19th centuries.

Sincerely,