Author: Nariaki TOKUGAWA
Date: Late Edo Period (19th Century – c. 1853-1860)
Donated by: Junji Homma
Nariaki Tokugawa, who lived from April 4, 1800 to September 29, 1860 was the ninth daimyō (meaning feudal lord) of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan. He was also the father of the last shogun of the Edo Shogunate (or military dictatorship), Yoshinobu Tokugawa. Nariaki is renowned as a great ruler, who successfully reformed the clan administration.
The characters ‘徳潤’ (‘Tokujun’) are thought to derive from the section in the Confucian scripture Zhong Yong, which can be understood as ‘The conduct of life.’
‘Wealth embellishes a house and virtues nourish our bodies. When our minds are open, we tend to be healthier.’