In 1600, the Western Army led by Ishida Mitsunari was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara. Three years later, the leader of the victorious Eastern Army, Tokugawa Ieyasu, founded the Tokugawa shogunate and became the country’s first shōgun. This dynasty of military dictators ruled Japan from 1603 until 1868 during the Edo Period (also called the Tokugawa Period). Tokugawa Ieyasu lived at Sunpu Castle three times: as a child hostage, before he became ruler and then afterwards during his retirement until his death in 1616. He is shown holding a falcon because he admired the bird’s cunning and skill as a hunter.
