Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the son of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, was originally known as Miharu in his childhood. His official wife was Hino Tomiko.
On August 16, 1443, the 10-year-old shogun Yoshikatsu tragically passed away due to injuries sustained in a fall from a horse. He had held the position for only three years. In response, the bakufu promptly appointed Yoshikatsu's even younger brother, Yoshinari, as the new shogun. After a few years, Yoshinari changed his name to Yoshimasa, a name by which he is better known.
By 1464, Yoshimasa faced a succession challenge as he had no heir. To preempt any conflicts that might arise at the end of his shogunate, he adopted his younger brother, Ashikaga Yoshimi. However, the following year brought an unexpected development: the birth of a son, Ashikaga Yoshihisa. This event ignited a dispute between the two brothers over who would succeed Yoshimasa as shogun. Yoshimasa's wife, Hino Tomiko, sought support from Yamana Sozen for the infant's claim to the shogunate.
By 1467, this simmering conflict had escalated, causing a division among powerful daimyos and clan factions. The ensuing armed conflict, known as the Onin War, marked the onset of the tumultuous Sengoku period in Japanese history, characterized by prolonged military conflicts spanning over a century.
Amidst the ongoing hostilities, Yoshimasa retired in 1473. He officially passed on the title of Sei-i Taishogun to his young son, who became the ninth shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa. Nevertheless, Yoshimasa retained significant influence. With the leaders of the warring factions deceased and the ostensible succession dispute settled, the impetus for continued fighting waned. The fatigued armies disbanded, and by 1477, open warfare had ceased.
When Yoshimasa initially declared Yoshihisa as the next shogun upon his own retirement, he expected his son to outlive him. However, Yoshihisa's premature death led Yoshimasa to reassume power and responsibility, which he had intended to relinquish. Subsequently, he adopted his brother Yoshimi's son. In 1489, Yoshitane assumed the position of shogun, and Yoshimasa retired once again.
Before Yoshimasa's passing in 1490, he once more adopted a nephew as his heir, this time the son of his brother Masatomo. While Yoshitane did outlive Yoshimasa, his shogunate proved to be short-lived, ending in 1493.
Prior to marrying Hino Tomiko, who was the sister of Hino Katsumitsu, Yoshimasa had a concubine named Lady Oima. Tragically, when Tomiko pushed Lady Oima down a flight of stairs, she was eight months pregnant, resulting in a miscarriage.
Shogun Yoshimasa's succession saw shogun Yoshihisa (his natural son), followed by shogun Yoshitane (his first adopted son), and then shogun Yoshizumi (his second adopted son). Yoshizumi's descendants would directly follow him as leaders of the shogunate. Additionally, external power struggles within the clan would later result in a brief period during which Yoshitane's great-grandson would be installed as a figurehead leader of the Ashikaga shogunate.
The reign of Yoshimasa witnessed the flourishing of Higashiyama culture, renowned for its contributions to the tea ceremony (Sado), flower arrangement (Kado or Ikebana), Noh drama, and Indian ink painting. This cultural movement was profoundly influenced by Zen Buddhism and saw the emergence of Japanese aesthetic principles like Wabi-sabi, along with the integration of imperial court (Kuge) and samurai (Bushi) culture.
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.
