Following his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s rule over Japan was far from secure.
With Toyotomi Hideyori still alive and well in the impregnable Osaka Castle, and many daimyo still loyal to the Toyotomi clan, Ieyasu was deeply concerned.
The vast wealth and influence of the Toyotomi family, coupled with the potential for them to form a new coalition with Western daimyo, was a constant threat.
To eliminate this threat once and for all, Ieyasu launched a massive project immediately after being appointed shogun.
It was a cunning strategy called Tenka-Bushin, a phrase that translates to something like “nationwide construction,” which aimed to control his enemies by using their own resources.
