Ashikaga Yoshiaki (Oyumi)

"Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573.Ackroyd, Joyce. (1982) ''Lessons from History: The Tokushi Yoron'', p. 332. His father, Ashikaga Yoshiharu, was the twelfth ''shōgun'', and his brother, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, was the thirteenth ''shōgun''.

Biography

He was born to Ashikaga Yoshiharu on 5 December 1537. He entered Kofuku-ji temple as monk, but when his older brother Yoshiteru was killed by the Miyoshi clan, he returned to secular life and took the name "Yoshiaki". At the time, the Ashikaga shogunate had been severely weakened; its authority was largely ignored across Japan. Regardless, various factions still fought to control the central government, as it still held some prestige despite its dimished status. Ashikaga Yoshiteru attempted to overthrow the Miyoshi who effectively controlled him, but his conspiracies led the Miyoshi and Matsunaga Hisahide to organize a coup d'état as well as force Yoshiteru to commit suicide. They then opted to install Ashikaga Yoshihide as the fourteenth shogun in Kyoto, but were unable to control the capital.

There was no effective central authority in Kyoto until Ashikaga Yoshiaki was able to enlist warlord Oda Nobunaga to support his cause. The Oda armies entered Kyoto in 1568, re-establishing the Muromachi shogunate under Ashikaga Yoshiaki as a puppet ''shōgun''. This marked the beginning of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Ashikaga Yoshihide, the fourteenth shōgun, was deposed without ever entering the capital. Before long, Yoshiharu became dissatisfied with Oda Nobunaga's overlordship and tried to regain state power.

In 1573, Ashikaga Yoshiharu requested the aid of another warlord, Takeda Shingen, in overthrowing the Oda clan. Oda Nobunaga responded by deposing the shogun, forcing him to flee the capital. Most historians consider this the Ashikaga shogunate's end. Yoshiaki became a Buddhist monk, shaving his head and taking the name Sho-san, which he later changed to Rei-o In. However, Yoshiaki did not formally relinquish his title as shogun. Accordingly, the empty shell of the Ashikaga shogunate could be said to have continued for several more years. Despite a renewed central authority in Kyoto and Oda Nobunaga's attempt to unify the country, the struggle for power among warring states continued. Yoshiaki acted as a rallying point for anti-Oda forces. He even raised troops himself, and sent them to fight against Oda Nobunaga's army during the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War. Even after Oda Nobunaga had died in 1582, the former shogun continued his efforts to regain power. According to historian Mary Elizabeth Berry, Yoshiaki still resisted Nobunaga's ''de facto'' successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi by 1590.

He died in 1597.

Symbols

Ashikaga Yoshiaki's standard was a white Hata-jirushi with golden lettering and a red sun. His banner was white and had "Hachiman Dai Bosatsu" written on it in black.

Family

* Father: Ashikaga Yoshiharu
* Mother: Keijuin (1514–1565)
* Concubines:
** Osako no Kata
** Kosaki no Tsubone
* Children:
** Ashikaga Yoshihiro (1572–1605)
** Isshi Yoshitaka
** Nagayama Yoshiari (1575–1635)
** Yajima Hideyuki

Events of Yoshiaki's ''bakufu''

* 1568 – Oda Nobunaga sets Yoshiaki up as ''shōgun''.
* 1569 – Yoshiaki's Nijō residence is built.
* 1570 – Ikkō monks defeat Oda Nobunaga.
* 1571 – Oda Nobunaga destroys Enryaku-ji.
* 1573 – Takeda Shingen dies; Yoshiaki is deposed.
* 1574 – Oda Nobunaga demolishes Nagashima.
* 1580 – Ikkō monks surrender in August.
* 1582 – Oda Nobunaga dies at Honnō-ji temple.
* 1588 – Yoshiaki officially resigns from his post as ''shōgun''.

Eras of Yoshiaki's ''bakufu''

The span of years in which Yoshiaki was ''shōgun'' are more specifically identified by more than one era name or '' nengō''.Titsingh,
* ''Eiroku'' (1558–1570)
* ''Genki'' (1570–1573)
* '' Tenshō'' (1573–1592)

Notes

References

* Ackroyd, Joyce. (1982) ''Lessons from History: the Tokushi Yoron.'' Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.
OCLC 7574544
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 585069
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashikaga Yoshiaki

1537 births
1597 deaths
16th-century shōguns
Ashikaga shōguns
Yoshiaki
Japanese Buddhist clergy
Azuchi–Momoyama period Buddhist clergy