The Tokugawa clan, which produced successive shogun rulers throughout the Edo Period (1603-1867), will hold a ceremony Jan. 29 to formally anoint its first new head in more than half a century.

On Jan. 1, writer and critic Iehiro Tokugawa, 57, was named 19th head of the household, making him the first new holder of the title in 60 years. His formal inauguration to the title will be held at Zojoji temple in the Shiba district of Tokyo’s Minato Ward, which is home to the family’s mausoleum.

The development comes as Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) airs a history drama titled “Dosuru Ieyasu” (The way of Ieyasu) based on the story of the clan’s founder, Ieyasu (1542-1616).

Before the start of the program, the new family chieftain explained his plans for the clan’s important cultural properties as well as his thoughts on the history of the family that is a household name across Japan.

The family came into being in 1566 when Ieyasu changed his surname to Tokugawa from Matsudaira. The Edo Period marked the family’s heyday.

After the Tokugawa Shogunate was toppled and imperial rule restored through the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the head of the clan was awarded the title of duke. Its 17th head, Iemasa (1884-1963), served as the last speaker of the House of Peers.

Following the end of World War II, Tsunenari served as the 18th head for six decades. But when he reached the age of 82, he decided to step aside.

In November of last year, Iehiro embarked on pilgrimages to the Kunozan Toshogu shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture, Nikko Toshogu shrine in Tochigi Prefecture and other facilities dedicated to Ieyasu to hold Shinto and Buddhist rituals to “report” to his ancestors that he was the new head of the family.

A key mission for the clan is to pass down to posterity historically significant records and assets the Tokugawa family owns.

The Tokugawa Memorial Foundation, which was set up by Tsunenari in 2003, aimed to open those properties and display precious artifacts to the public.

An exhibition titled “Legacy of the Tokugawa: The Glories and Treasures of the Last Samurai Dynasty” was held in the Tokyo National Museum in 2007.

In 2017, a large silver stamp was discovered in a huge chest for furnishings while a storehouse on the family’s property was being demolished. It turned out to be the official seal used by the Tokugawa Shogunate when it signed the 1858 Japan-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce.

Iehiro said it was time the family made a proper inventory of possessions kept at the Tokugawa clan’s repository, given that they often go on public display.

“Many valuable artifacts are still technically in my father’s personal possession and their ownership must be transferred to the foundation,” Iehiro said. “The process of examination and sorting through everything will take several years before we can build a database.”

NHK’s airing of “Dosuru Ieyasu” is widely expected to ignite newfound interest in Ieyasu as the year unfolds.

Iehiro was named honorary director of a drama-themed exhibition facility in Hamamatsu. Iehiro said he chatted on three occasions with actor Jun Matsumoto, who plays Ieyasu, at Nagoya Castle and elsewhere.

“The long-living Ieyasu is often likened to a dirty, sly raccoon dog in history dramas, and it was mentally tough for me to see him treated that way during my childhood,” Iehiro recalled. “I am honestly pleased to see Matsumoto, who is noted for his fresh clean image, play the role of my distant ancestor.”

Iehiro said he hoped the series will shed new light on his family’s founder, given that the Tokugawa Shogunate has featured so many times on NHK.

“Even young people will feel sympathy for Ieyasu because he had a range of emotions just like everybody else and was struggling to create a peaceful Japan in those days,” Iehiro said.

Iehiro spent his childhood in the United States. Finishing a course at graduate school there, he worked for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at its headquarters in Rome as well as its branch in Hanoi.

He said he fell in love with a Vietnamese woman and married her.

Iehiro noted that Edo culture is especially admired in Europe and the United States, so much so that cultural assets from the period are stored and exhibited all over the world.

“Japan’s history appears to be complicated and difficult to understand from the viewpoint of non-Japanese,” he said. “I am dreaming of organizing a Tokugawa-themed display outside Japan, showing pieces from across the globe.”