HITOTSUBASHI, Japanese statesman and party leader: b. 1837; d. 1902. Son of Nariaki Daimyo of Mito (q.v.), and naturally a supporter of the Doctrine of Mito (q.v.), he appeared as the leader of the party opposed to the open door in Japan. He is known as Keiki (Ka'ke), the pronunciation of the Chinese characters representing his name, and as Yoshinobu, his real name. The cognomen Hitotsubashi he obtained when he was adopted into the feudal house of that name in 1848. He became guardian of the young Shogun in 1863, a position that gave him great prominence in the affairs of Japan at a time when the nation was at the parting of the ways. He is known as athe last of the Tycoons,* or the last Shogun. His real title was Yoshinobu Toku gawa, Prince Tokugawa. He was heir of the house of Hitotsubashi, and as such eventually became Shogun. He came of a long line of illustrious ancestors which had helped to make the history of Japan for over 300 years. Yoshinobu became Shogun in August 1866, and the following year, notwithstanding his family tradition, he presented a memorial to the emperor advising to call the barons together to discuss the °open door question° and the rela tion of Japan to foreign countries and civiliza tion. He also took steps to have all the gov
ernment of the country centred in the em peror. But the Shogunate party which he represented opposed this and open war broke out between the emperor and the Shiogunates. Yoshinobu, in the difficult position of owing allegiance of a traditional and religious char acter to the emperor and leadership to his own family and party, decided to follow the will of his famous father, Nariaki (q.v.), and be faithful to the emperor at all cost. In the war the party of the emperor won out and Yoshi nobu retired to private life still retaining the favor and confidence of the court by whom he was recognized as Prince Tokugawa. His princely residence was one of the conspiduous objects by the Kioshikawa Gate in Tokio. Con.; suit Okuma, Count Shigenobu, 'Fifty Years of New Japan' (translated into English by Mar cus B. Huish, London 1909).