Ashikaga Yoshiaki (5 December 1537 – 19 October 1597) was the fifteenth and final shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan, reigning from 1568 to 1573. His father, Ashikaga Yoshiharu, held the position of the twelfth shogun, and his brother, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, followed as the thirteenth shogun.
Born to Ashikaga Yoshiharu on 5 December 1537, Yoshiaki initially entered Kofuku-ji temple as a monk. However, when his elder brother Yoshiteru fell victim to the Miyoshi clan, Yoshiaki returned to secular life, assuming the name "Yoshiaki". During this time, the Ashikaga shogunate faced significant decline, with its authority largely disregarded throughout Japan. Nevertheless, various factions still vied for control of the central government, as it retained some prestige despite its weakened state. Ashikaga Yoshiteru made attempts to overthrow the Miyoshi, who effectively controlled him. Yet, his conspiracies led to a coup orchestrated by the Miyoshi and Matsunaga Hisahide, ultimately compelling Yoshiteru to take his own life. Subsequently, they attempted to install Ashikaga Yoshihide as the fourteenth shogun in Kyoto, but they struggled to maintain control over the capital.
Not until Ashikaga Yoshiaki secured the support of warlord Oda Nobunaga did an effective central authority return to Kyoto. In 1568, Oda's armies entered Kyoto, reinstating the Muromachi shogunate with Ashikaga Yoshiaki as a nominal shogun. This marked the onset of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. The fourteenth shogun, Yoshihide, was deposed without ever setting foot in the capital. In due course, Yoshiharu grew discontented with Oda Nobunaga's dominance and sought to reclaim state power.
In 1573, Ashikaga Yoshiharu sought the assistance of another warlord, Takeda Shingen, in overthrowing the Oda clan. In response, Oda Nobunaga deposed the shogun, compelling him to flee the capital. Most historians consider this the definitive conclusion of the Ashikaga shogunate. Yoshiaki embraced the life of a Buddhist monk, shaving his head and adopting the name Sho-san, later changed to Rei-o In. Nevertheless, Yoshiaki did not formally relinquish his shogunal title. Consequently, the Ashikaga shogunate's symbolic existence could be said to have persisted for several more years. Despite a restored central authority in Kyoto and Oda Nobunaga's efforts to unify the country, the power struggle among warring states persisted. Yoshiaki served as a focal point for anti-Oda forces. He even raised troops and dispatched them to engage Oda Nobunaga's army during the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War. Even after Oda Nobunaga's passing in 1582, the former shogun continued his endeavors to regain power.
See also
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
