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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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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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.
