He yielded his position as head of the family to his adopted child Yoshiakira TOKUGAWA (a son of the lord of the Takamatsu Domain Yoritoshi MATSUDAIRA) and retired in 1880.
明治13年（1880年）家督を養子徳川義礼（よしあきら、高松藩主松平頼聰の子）に譲り隠居。