Ashikaga Yoshihisa (December 11, 1465 – April 26, 1489) held the position of the 9th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate from 1473 to 1489, a period within Japan's Muromachi era. He was the son of the eighth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and his wife Hino Tomiko.
As the nearly 30-year-old shogun Yoshimasa had no biological heir by 1464, he chose to adopt his younger brother Ashikaga Yoshimi as his successor. However, in the following year, Yoshihisa was born, sparking a succession dispute between the brothers. This conflict escalated into the Onin War in 1467, marking the onset of Japan's Sengoku period. Amidst this turmoil, Yoshimasa retired in 1473, passing on the title of Sei-i Taishogun to Yoshihisa. Yoshihisa officially assumed his shogunal duties in 1479.
In 1487, Yoshihisa led a campaign known as the Rokkaku Tobatsu against Takayori.
In 1488, the Kaga Rebellion unfolded in Kaga Province during his reign. The subsequent year, while on a campaign against Sasaki Takayori, Yoshihisa passed away in camp. Yoshimasa returned to oversee the administration, but he too passed away the following year.
Following the Onin War, Rokkaku Takayori, the daimyo of southern Omi Province, took control of lands and estates belonging to nobles of the imperial court, as well as those of temples and shrines.
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.
