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Tokugawa Ieyasu was a subordinate to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous Japanese general. The emperor did not grant Hideyoshi the position of Shogun, because he came from a poor family. Because of this he is known as a general who ruled Japan, not a Shogun. Ieyasu was power hungry. He wanted to kill Hideyoshi and become the most powerful man in Japan. Ieyasu is known to be a patient person. He shows his patience when, instead of fighting against Hideyoshi and defeating him, he waits for Hideyoshi to become old and die. Hideyoshi fails to produce a male heir until age 60. When he dies at age 70, his son is too young to rule Japan. Ieyasu swears with his life to Hideyoshi, that he will protect his young son, Hideyori. Eventually, Ieyasu grows tired of protecting Hideyori. Ieyasu realized that as long as Hideyori lived, Ieyasu would never become the Shogun, because Hideyori was the rightful follower to the throne. Ieyasu attacked Hideyori's castle, which was defended by 100,000 troops. During the fighting, Ieyasu signs an agreement with Hideyori that says that the fighting will stop, if Hideyori allows Ieyasu to become leader of Japan instead of him. Hideyori's mother convinces him to sign it. This causes the fighting to stop. Later, one of Ieyasu's cousins attacked Hideyori's castle. Ieyasu said that this made the contract between them invalid. Hideyori is killed.
The Emperor made Ieyasu the Shogun. In the end of Hideyoshi's life, he began persecuting Christians. Ieyasu waited for years after he became Shogun before he resumed Japan's persecution of Christians. In 1614, he issued his 'edict against Christianity'. This said that foreign Christians had to leave Japan. It also said that Japanese converts had to convert to a form of Buddhism or leave as well. Any foreign Christians, who did not leave Japan, and any Japanese converts who did not convert to Buddhism, would be vulnerable to a number of penalties including: branding, nose-slitting, amputation of the feet, castration, or death.
Ieyasu continued persecuting Christians until his death in 1616. Following his death, his son, Tokugawa Iemitsu, followed in his father's footsteps. Tokugawa Iemitsu was even crueler to the Christians than his father, but that will be saved for another biography.
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