Ii Naosuke

Ii Naosuke (井伊直弼, 1815-1860) was the fourteenth daimyō of the Hikone Domain (modern-day Shiga Prefecture) and as tairō (大老, "regent") of the Tokugawa shogunate the de-facto ruler of Japan for almost two years (1858-60). During his short rule, Ii attempted to stem the erosion of Tokugawa hegemony in Japan but failed to implement vigorous policies that could have protected the shogunate against Western influence and...