During the disorder caused by the Arrival of the Black Ships, Shogun Ieyoshi died in 1853; his heir, the 13th Shogun Iesada TOKUGAWA, had poor health with no prospect of having his own son, and therefore the issue of "who would become the Shogun's heir" arose (Issue of Shogun's Heir).
嘉永6年（1853年）、黒船来航の混乱の最中に将軍・家慶が病死し、その跡を継いだ第13代将軍・徳川家定が病弱で男子を儲ける見込みがなかったので「将軍継嗣を誰にするか」という問題が浮上する（将軍継嗣問題）。