僅か7歳の徳川家継が亡くなってしまったため、紀伊藩（和歌山県の御三家の一藩）藩主の徳川吉宗が将軍となることになりました。
Because Ietsugu Tokugawa died only at the age of 7, Yoshimune Tokugawa, Kii (Wakayama Prefecture) Domain head became the 8th Shogun.
徳川吉宗が1716年に8代将軍になると、「享保の改革」として知られる政治改革で通貨インフレの問題の解決に乗り出しました。
Once Yoshimune Tokugawa became the 8th Shogun in 1716, he had the major political reform known as “The Reform in Kyoho (the name of a Japanese era)” to solve the currency inflation problem.
徳川吉宗は優秀で有能な人材を幕府の重要職に採用、登用し、業績に応じて厚遇する能力主義的な制度を取り入れました。
He took in the meritocratic system which recruited and placed bright and competent individuals to the important posts in Bakufu and treated them well in accordance with their performance.
For instance, Tadasuke Oooka who he hired as the Town Bugyo is a very famous figure.
そして、江戸町民の実際のニーズに応えるために目安箱を設置し、町火消や小石川養成所が設けられました。
To better accommodate Edo citizens’ actual needs, he put the request letter boxes in Edo, and Bakufu established the system of Edo fire brigades and the hospital for the poor.
また、訴訟経済のため、判例集（公事方御定書）を奉行所に参照させ、金銭消費貸借訴訟については当事者間で解決させる法令（相対済令）を出しました。
Also, to streamline numerous civil litigation cases, he had the courts refer the report of the precedent cases, and he enacted the law ordering to solve the cases regarding loan contracts outside the court.
