[1] Although shōgun Ietsugu assumed the role as formal head of the bakufu,[2] he was still a toddler.

As he was not old or able enough to rule, he was put under the protection and advice of Confucian scholar Arai Hakuseki.

Two problems were addressed during Ietsugu's reign: currency reform and foreign trade in Kyūshū.

Ietsugu did not take much care of the country's matters; and his advisors, namely Arai Hakuseki, addressed them.

Thus, after various proposals (most after the death of Ienobu) submitted to Shogun Ietsugu and Arai, it was decided to create a new currency.

[citation needed] In Shōtoku 6, on the 30th day of the 4th month (1716), Shogun Ietsugu died of complications of a cold, at the age of six.