Tokugawa Japan · 1598-1616

Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Battle of Sekigahara

When Hideyoshi died in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu waited, made deals and won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Students follow his path to power and see how his shogunate kept Japan at peace for about 250 years.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1600 to AD 1650
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

When Hideyoshi died in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu waited, made deals and won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Students follow his path to power and see how his shogunate kept Japan at peace for about 250 years.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Tokugawa Ieyasu won power after Hideyoshi's death.
  • Explain the importance of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.
  • Explain how the Tokugawa shogunate kept the daimyo under control.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1600

The battlefield

Open the map in 1600, turn on Historical Events and find the Battle of Sekigahara. Look at the valley between the mountains. Why would two armies meet at this pass on the road between east and west?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1603

A new capital

Pan east to Edo, Ieyasu's castle town on Edo Bay, today's Tokyo. Why would he rule from here instead of from Kyoto?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1650

Tokugawa Japan

Drag the slider from 1600 to 1650 and zoom out. What does the map call Japan in 1600, and what in 1650?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Hideyoshi left a five-year-old son as his heir. Why is a child heir dangerous for a ruling family?
  2. Sekigahara was won partly by deals made before the battle. Is politics as important as fighting in war?
  3. Why did Ieyasu hand the title of shogun to his son in 1605, while he was still alive?
  4. The Tokugawa made the daimyo spend every other year in Edo. How does that keep lords loyal?
  5. The Tokugawa peace lasted until the 1860s. What is the price of a long peace under strict rules?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Tokugawa Ieyasu. Let students take turns making his rulings on the classroom screen. After each one, ask: would this choice help keep the peace for 250 years, or start a new war?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.