Episode 036 · Out Nov 9, 2026
Japan's last shogun quit and got a bike
On 9 November 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu – the 15th and last Tokugawa shogun – offered to hand governing power back to the emperor. His family had ruled Japan since 1603. He hoped to keep leading a new council of lords, but his rivals said no: in January 1868 the shogunate was abolished, and in the short Boshin War his larger army lost at Toba–Fushimi. Edo was handed over without a fight. Yoshinobu retired to Shizuoka and spent decades on hobbies – hunting, fishing, oil painting, go, even embroidery. In 1887 his four attendants got shoe money for joining his bike rides, and photography became his biggest passion. In 1902 he was made a prince; he died in 1913, aged 76.
Sources
Every claim in the video was checked against these sources. Where they disagree, the video words it carefully; legends are marked as legends.
In short: Wikipedia "Tokugawa Yoshinobu", "Tokugawa shogunate", "Meiji Restoration", "Battle of Toba–Fushimi", "Satchō Alliance", "Bakumatsu"; Japanese Wikipedia "Tokugawa Yoshinobu" and "Taisei Hōkan"; serai.jp (Yajima Yukihiko, quoting the household diary of 1887 and Shibusawa Eiichi's biography); City of Shizuoka press release (2021).
- Wikipedia: Tokugawa shogunate en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Tokugawa Yoshinobu en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Bakumatsu en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Satchō Alliance en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia (JA): 大政奉還 ja.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Meiji Restoration en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Battle of Toba–Fushimi en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia (JA): 徳川慶喜 ja.wikipedia.org
- serai.jp (Yajima Yukihiko) serai.jp
- Pressemitteilung via Kyodo News PR Wire kyodonewsprwire.jp
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