Ashikaga Yoshiakira (July 4, 1330 – December 28, 1367) served as the second shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate from 1358 to 1367 during Japan's Muromachi period. He was the son of Ashikaga Takauji, the founder and inaugural shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. His mother, known as Akahashi Toshi or Hojo Nariko, was Takauji's consort.
During his early years, Yoshiakira, then known as Senjuo, resided in Kamakura as a hostage under the guardianship of the Hojo clan. His father, Takauji, aligned himself with the exiled Emperor Go-Daigo, who led a rebellion against the Kamakura shogunate in what is known as the Kenmu Restoration. Yoshiakira actively supported Nitta Yoshisada (1301–1338) in the attack against the Kamakura shogunate. Throughout the Nanboku-cho period, Yoshiakira successfully reclaimed Kyoto from various Loyalist occupations in the 1350s.
In 1349, internal turmoil within the government necessitated Yoshiakira's return to Kyoto, where he was designated as Takauji's heir. On April 5, 1352, Loyalist forces led by Kitabatake Akiyoshi, Kusunoki Masanori, and Chigusa Akitsune seized Kyoto for a period of 20 days before Yoshiakira managed to recapture the city. In July 1353, Loyalist forces under the command of Masanori and Yamana Tokiuji once again took control of Kyoto, only to be repelled by Yoshiakira in August. In January 1355, Loyalist forces led by Momonoi, Tadafuyu, and Yamana once more captured Kyoto. However, on April 25, Takauji and Yoshiakira's combined forces successfully reclaimed the city. Following his father Takauji's passing in 1358, Yoshiakira assumed the title of Sei-i Taishogun.
Upon Takauji's death in 1358, Yoshiakira's appointment as shogun led to discord and defections within the shogunate. In 1362, Hosokawa Kiyouji and Kusunoki Masanori launched an attack on Kyoto. Yoshiakira fled the city but managed to retake it within twenty days. Later, in 1365, Prince Kaneyoshi (also known as Kanenaga), the son of Emperor Go-Daigo and leader of the rival Ashikaga court, gained control of Kyushu. In 1367, Yoshiakira fell seriously ill and passed on his position to his son.
Several months after his demise, he was succeeded by his son Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, who assumed the role of the third shogun in 1368. Yoshiakira was posthumously honored with the title Hokyoin, and his resting place is located at Toji-in in Kyoto, the same site as his father's grave.
See also
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Uesugi Kagetora
Uesugi Kagetora (1552 – April 19, 1579) was the seventh son of Hojo Ujiyasu and was originally known as Hojo Saburo. He was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin and intended to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his Otate Castle by Uesugi Kagekatsu, his brother-in-law, and was ultimately defeated. Kagetora committed suicide the following year at Samegao Castle.
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Hojo Ujinao
Hojo Ujinao (1562 – December 19, 1591) was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku period and the last leader of the Later Hojo clan. An important figure in Azuchi-Momoyama politics, he lost his entire domain following the Siege of Odawara (1590). Despite this, he survived, and his family continued as minor daimyo during the Edo period.
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Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori (1546 – April 3, 1582) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, renowned as the head of the Takeda clan and successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was also the son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Katsuyori was born to Shingen and the daughter of Suwa Yorishige, known posthumously as Suwa-goryonin and by her real name, Koihime. His children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Takeda Katsuchika.
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Yasuke
Yasuke, an African page, arrived in Japan in 1579 as the attendant of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Before the arrival of the Englishman William Adams, it is thought that Yasuke was possibly the inaugural non-Japanese samurai, arriving about twenty years earlier.
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Yamanami Keisuke
Yamanami Keisuke, the second in command of the Shinsengumi, a special police force during the late Edo period, shocked many when he performed seppuku on March 20, 1865, at the age of 32.
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Yamamoto Kansuke
Yamamoto Kansuke, renowned as a samurai strategist and one of Takeda Shingen's esteemed 24 Generals, hailed from the Mikawa region, known for breeding formidable warriors. Despite physical challenges—blindness in one eye, lameness in one leg, and a malformed hand—Kansuke embarked on a warrior's pilgrimage in his twenties. Traveling across the land, he honed his skills in strategy, tactics, castle construction, and warfare, engaging in various swordsmanship schools and forms.
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Yamaga Soko
Yamaga Soko was a multifaceted figure in Japanese history, renowned as a strategist, philosopher, and scholar. Later in life, he became a ronin, leaving a significant mark on the understanding of the Tokugawa period samurai.
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William Adams - Miura Anjin
William Adams, also known as Miura Anjin, holds the distinction of being one of the few non-Japanese individuals granted samurai status. Born in Gillingham, Kent, England in 1564, Adams embarked on a remarkable journey that led him to become an influential figure in Japanese history.
