Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 after receiving the title of shogun from Emperor Go-Yōzei.
Ieyasu’s victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 made him Japan’s dominant military leader, but the shogunate formally began three years later. The Tokugawa government ruled from Edo, the city now known as Tokyo, and maintained political stability for more than 260 years.
The title of shogun was technically granted by the emperor, although real political authority rested with the Tokugawa family. Ieyasu abdicated in 1605 in favor of his son Tokugawa Hidetada, but continued directing affairs from retirement.
The Tokugawa shogunate ended in 1867 when Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned governing authority to the emperor. Its long period of rule is also called the Edo period, after the shogunate’s headquarters.