Ashikaga Yoshiharu (April 2, 1511 – May 20, 1550) held the position of the twelfth shogun in the Ashikaga shogunate from 1521 to 1546, during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was born as the son of the eleventh shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshizumi, and was known by the childhood name Kameomaru.
Yoshiharu was a man known for his wisdom, respect, and considerable stature. He governed Japan for over two decades, from 1521 to 1546, displaying a notable grasp of power. However, like his predecessors, his rule was not without controversy.
As the twelfth shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, he was the offspring of the eleventh shogun, Ashikaga Yoshizumi, and his biological mother was a lady named Hino Akiko.
The Rule of Ashikaga Yoshiharu
Critics often argue that Ashikaga Yoshiharu's tenure as shogun was marked by ineffective leadership. Drawing from historical records, references, and books, scholars have observed how advisers wielded significant influence over him. In some instances, they even made decisions on his behalf.
There were multiple occasions when these advisers managed to remove the Shogun from the capital for various reasons, effectively placing him in exile while they ruled in his name. This typically occurred when the shogun attempted to assert his ultimate authority.
One of the most notable incidents took place in 1528, when Shogun Yoshiharu was forced into exile due to an intense power struggle with Miyoshi Nagamoto, a retainer of Hosokawa Takakuni. At the time, the shogun sought to gather more supporters to potentially remove these daimyos from the council and consequently from the city. However, Miyoshi and Hosokawa, being cunning strategists, were already steps ahead of him.
Later on, with the assistance of Hosokawa Harumoto and Miyoshi Nagayoshi, the Shogun brokered a peace with Takakuni and Nagamoto, allowing him to return to the city. During his reinstatement, they once again attempted to wrest power from Nagamoto, but their efforts ultimately failed. This led to Yoshiharu's exile once more.
This time, the Shogun made the decision to retire from his position, believing that his lack of authority merely attached a title to his name without granting him the true ability to govern. Faced with repeated exiles, he chose to live as an ordinary citizen and pave the way for his successors to ascend to the throne.
The Passing of Ashikaga Yoshiharu
In 1561, Ashikaga Yoshiharu officially resigned from his post as the leader of the Muromachi period's shogunate. He was in exile in the Omi province at this time, accompanied by his family. Recognizing his impotence as a ruler and the futility of ongoing power struggles, he grew weary of being pushed out of the capital and constantly contending with formidable daimyos for the authority he rightfully deserved.
He passed away on May 20, 1550. Later, in 1568, supported by Oda Nobunaga, his son Ashikaga Yoshiaki ascended to become the fifteenth shogun.
From a Western perspective, Yoshiharu holds significance as he was the shogun at the time of Japan's first contact with the European West in 1543. A Portuguese ship, blown off course to China, made landfall in Japan.
See also
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Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
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Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
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Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
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Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
