Ashikaga Yoshiakira
Encyclopedia
was the 2nd shogun
of the Ashikaga shogunate
who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period
of Japan
. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shogun
of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji
.
He spent his childhood in Kamakura
as a hostage of the Hōjō clan
. His father Takauji joined forces with the banished Emperor Go-Daigo
. The Kamakura shogunate was overthrown; and Go-Daigo began the process which will come to be known as the Kemmu Restoration
.
Yoshiakira was dispatched to Kamakura to maintain peace in the eastern provinces.
In 1349, an internal disturbance of the government caused Yoshiakira to be called back to Kyoto, where he found himself named as Takauji's heir. Yoshiakira succeeded his father Takauji as Seii Taishogun after his death in 1358.
Significant events shape the period during which Yoshiakira was shogun:
Some months after his death, he was succeeded by his son Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
as the third shogun in 1368. His tomb is in Tōji-in
, Kyoto, where his father's also is.
Nanboku-chō southern court
(1346–1370)
Nanboku-chō northern Court
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
of the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
.
He spent his childhood in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
as a hostage of the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
. His father Takauji joined forces with the banished Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo was the 96th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession....
. The Kamakura shogunate was overthrown; and Go-Daigo began the process which will come to be known as the Kemmu Restoration
Kemmu restoration
The is the name given to both the three year period of Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period, and the political events that took place in it...
.
Yoshiakira was dispatched to Kamakura to maintain peace in the eastern provinces.
In 1349, an internal disturbance of the government caused Yoshiakira to be called back to Kyoto, where he found himself named as Takauji's heir. Yoshiakira succeeded his father Takauji as Seii Taishogun after his death in 1358.
Significant events shape the period during which Yoshiakira was shogun:
- 1358—Takauji dies; Yoshiakira appointed shogun; dissention and defections in shogunate.
- 1362 – Hosokawa Kiyouji and Kusunoki MasanoriKusunoki Masanoriwas a samurai who fought for the Southern Court in Japan's Nanboku-chō Wars, and is famed for his skills as a leader and military strategist, though he later sought a diplomatic solution and was regarded a traitor by many of his comrades...
attack Kyoto, Yoshiakira flees, but regains the capital in twenty days. - 1365 – Emperor Go-DaigoEmperor Go-DaigoEmperor Go-Daigo was the 96th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession....
's son, Prince Kaneyoshi (also known as Kanenaga) gains control of Kyushu. - 1367 – Kantō kubōKanto kubowas a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
Ashikaga MotoujiAshikaga Motouji-See also:* Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods* The article Nanboku-chō period...
dies; Yoshiakira falls ill and cedes his position to his son.
Some months after his death, he was succeeded by his son Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who ruled from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
as the third shogun in 1368. His tomb is in Tōji-in
Toji-in
is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai Tenryū sect located in Kita Ward, Kyoto, Japan, and one of two funeral temples dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji, first shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty. Its main object of worship is Shakyamuni, and its honorary sangō prefix is .- History :Tōji-in was founded at the...
, Kyoto, where his father's also is.
Eras of Yoshiakira's bakufu
The years in which Yoshiakira was shogun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.Nanboku-chō southern court
- Eras as reckoned by legitimate Court (as determined by Meiji rescript):
Shohei
was a Japanese era name of the Southern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Kōkoku and before Kentoku. This period spanned the years from December 1346 to July 1370. The Southern Court emperors in Yoshino were and...
(1346–1370)
Nanboku-chō northern Court
- Eras as reckoned by pretender Court (as determined by Meiji rescript):
- EnbunEnbun, also known as Embun, was a Japanese era name of the Northern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Bunna and before Kōan. This period spanned the years from March 1356 through March 1361; The emperor in Kyoto was...
(1356–1361) - Kōan (1361–1362)
- JōjiJojiwas a Japanese era name of the Northern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Kōan and before Ōan. This period spanned the years from September 1362 through February 1368. The emperor in Kyoto was...
(1362–1368)
- Enbun