The Tokugawa Memorial Foundation was established in 2003, the quadricentennial of the creation of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Its objective is to preserve and administer the historical objects and documents that have been passed down in the Tokugawa Shogunal Household over the generations, display them to the general audience and provide assistance to academic research on topics concerning Tokugawa Japan; through such activities, enhance understanding on the long and eventful Tokugawa era.