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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Asakura Toshikage
The Asakura family, who claimed kinship with several emperors, lived in the province of Echizen. Its representatives were considered hereditary vassals of the Shiba clan. From the mid-15th century until their defeat by Oda Nobunaga's army in 1573, which resulted in the final destruction of the Asakura clan, they were a significant military and economic force.
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Asakura Yoshikage
Yoshikage was the eldest son of Asakura Takakage. He began ruling in 1548 at the age of fifteen, and during his reign he twice defeated the Ikko-ikki forces, in 1555 and 1564. Yoshikage supported the Saito family in their struggle against Oda Nobunaga in 1561–1567. When Ashikaga Yoshiaki fled Kyoto in 1565 after the assassination of his older brother, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Yoshikage gave him refuge. However, he was unable to provide sufficient support for Yoshiaki's claim to the title of shogun, and Yoshiaki had to seek help from Oda Nobunaga.
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Asakura Norikage
Norikage came from the ancient samurai clan of Asakura, whose members considered themselves descendants of Prince Kusakabe, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). He was the eighth son of daimyo Asakura Takakage and was named Kotaro in childhood. Over time, Asakura Norikage became the pillar of the Asakura clan and was undoubtedly its most talented commander during that difficult period when the clan was experiencing internal difficulties, uprisings by the Ikko-ikki sect, and instability in the lands surrounding the capital. Although Norikage himself was never a daimyo, he served as an advisor to three generations of Asakura clan leaders. He spent his entire life on military campaigns. After his father's death in 1481, Norikage entered the service of his brother, Asakura Ujikage.
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Asai (Azai) Nagamasa
Asai Nagamasa inherited power from his father, Asai Hisamasa, when he was only fifteen years old. Both brave and impulsive, he proved himself a capable commander, managing to regain lands from the Rokkaku clan that had previously been lost by his father. After a territorial dispute with Oda Nobunaga over the province of Mino, Nagamasa formed an alliance with Nobunaga and married his sister Oichi, who was famous for her beauty. In 1570, when Oda Nobunaga declared war on the Asakura family, Nagamasa sided with the Asakura because he had long-standing ties with them. This unexpected move threatened Nobunaga's invasion of the Asakura lands by threatening him from the rear. Oda managed to save his army, not without the help of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but relations between Nobunaga and Asai were permanently damaged.
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Amano Yasukage
Yasukage was born into the family of the samurai Amano Kagetaka and was given the name Matagoro at birth. He later changed his name to Kageyoshi, and then to Yasukage. From an early age, Yasukage served Tokugawa Ieyasu and accompanied him when he was held hostage by Imagawa Yoshimoto. His loyalty and devotion to Ieyasu from a young age laid the foundation for Yasukage's future military and administrative career.
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Amago Tsunekisa
The Amago clan (also spelled Amako) was founded in 1392, when Sasaki Takahisa, who was orphaned at the age of three, took the new surname Amago, meaning “son of a nun,” in honor of the nun who raised him. Since the Sasaki family descended from Emperor Uda (866–931), the Amago clan traced its lineage back to this emperor. From around 1396, the Amago clan's headquarters was the mountain castle of Gassan-Toda in Izumo Province. Until the start of the Onin War, the Amago clan remained a minor clan in the service of the Kyogoku clan, which was also a descendant of the Sasaki clan. The Amago clan historically held the position of vice-governor of Izumo Province.
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Abe Masakatsu
Masakatsu came from the ancient Abe clan, whose progenitor, according to the Nihon Shoki chronicle, is considered to be Prince Ohiko-no-mikoto (2nd century BC), son of Emperor Kogen. From the Nara period (710–784), members of the Abe clan held high positions in the government, including at the ministerial level, and from the Heian period (794–1185) onwards, the clan gained widespread fame, which continued until the Edo period.
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Toyotomi Hidenaga
Toyotomi Hidenaga was an outstanding military commander and strategist of his time, who was unjustly overshadowed by his half-brother, the great Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At different stages of his life, he was known by the names Kinoshita Koichiro, Hashiba Nagahide, and Hashiba. Despite his relative obscurity among the general public, Hidenaga was considered one of the best minds of his time, on par with the renowned Kuroda Kanbei.
