Ieyasu’s Desk As a six-year-old child, Tokugawa Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to the Imagawa clan, however, en route, he was captured and held by the Oda clan. When his father died two years later, the child was permitted to return to his ancestral lands for the funeral, where he spent 3 months at the Houzouji, a small temple on the outskirts of Okazaki. While there, he spent his time in active studies, learning reading and writing from the head priest. The young Ieyasu, it seems, was also interested in castles. Among the many treasures kept in the Houzouji, is the small study desk the young Ieyasu used. The low wooden table still has the outline of a castle carved into the top with a sharp knife, and the name “Takechiyo”, Ieyasu’s infant name, carved above it. There are two smaller castles, as well as geometric shapes scratched into the desktop by the future shogun. The Houzoiji’s treasure house is rarely open for viewing to the public. The treasure house also has a “New Years First Writing”, a scroll written on New Years Day by an eight-year-old Ieyasu, and including his hand-print in red ink, along with other historical and Tokugawa related items.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 22:37:19 +0000
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