Iemochi, known in his childhood as Kikuchiyo (菊千代), was the eldest son of the 11th-generation
Wakayama Domain lord
Tokugawa Nariyuki (1801–1846) with his concubine known as Jitsujoin and was born in the domain's residence in Edo (modern-day
Minato-ku in
Tokyo). Nariyuki was a younger son of the 11th
shōgun,
Tokugawa Ienari. In 1847, at age 1, he was adopted as the heir of the 12th-generation
daimyō Tokugawa Narikatsu, and succeeded him in 1850, taking the name Tokugawa Yoshitomi following his coming of age in 1851. In 1858 he had audience with
shōgun Iesada and his wife, Atsuhime short after he was adopted as their son and named as the successor to the main Tokugawa house. The choice of Yoshitomi was not without conflict; there were other factions in the government who supported
Tokugawa Yoshinobu or
Matsudaira Naritami for
shōgun; both of them, unlike Yoshitomi, were adults. After assuming the office of shogun, Yoshitomi changed his name to Iemochi. Before Iesada died he give his will to
Ii Naosuke, that: • First,
Ii Naosuke must help Iemochi at administration until Iemochi was old enough to rule. • Second, all political issues must be discussed with
Tenshoin, as Iemochi's mother. As part of the
kōbu gattai ("Union of Court and Bakufu") movement, On 11 February 1862, Iemochi married
Princess Kazu, daughter of
Emperor Ninko. Princess Kazu refused to use the title "
Midaidokoro", and instead only used the title "Miya". On 22 April 1863 (
Bunkyū 3, 5th day of the 3rd month),
shōgun Iemochi traveled in a great procession to the capital. He had been summoned by the emperor, and had 3,000 retainers as escort. This was the first time since the visit of
Iemitsu in the ''
Kan'ei'' era, 230 years before, that a shogun had visited Kyoto. His early death at the age of 20 put an end to his short marriage with princess Kazu-no-Miya. Before he died he adopted a son, Tayasu Kamenosuke (later known as
Tokugawa Iesato), as his heir. At that time Tayasu Kamenosuke was only 3 years old, but as the Tokugawa shogunate was
at war with Chōshū, the adult
Yoshinobu was appointed the fifteenth
shōgun.
Shōgun Yoshinobu then adopted Iemochi's adopted son, Tayasu Kamenosuke. After Iemochi's death, Kazu-no-Miya changed her name to Seikan'in no Miya. The cause of Iemochi's death is widely reported as heart failure due to
beriberi, a disease caused by
thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. His successor, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, was the last Tokugawa
shōgun and witnessed the end of the shogunate, which gave way to the
Meiji Restoration. ==Family==