What was Tokugawa Ieyasu’s childhood like?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Tokugawa Ieyasu was separated from his parents at an early age. His mother was forced to leave the household because of shifting clan alliances, and, when he was four years old, Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to the Imagawa clan. En route, he was captured by the rival Oda family and held for two years.