was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

military commander, feudal lord in the late Heian and early

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

of Japan's history.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ashikaga Yoshikane" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File
He played an active part in the Jishō-Juei War and the later military campaign as a closely related person of the first Kamakura ''shōgun''

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

, and made

Ashikaga clan The was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1333 to 1573. The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in ...

influential position in

gokenin A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods.Iwanami Kōjien, "Gokenin" In exchange for protection and the right to become ''jitō'' (manor's lord), a ''gokenin'' had in times of peace the duty to protect ...

vassal of the Kamakura shogunate.

Genealogy

Yoshikane was the third son of

Minamoto no Yoshiyasu Minamoto no Yoshiyasu, also called Ashikaga Yoshiyasu (源義康/足利義康, 1127 – 1157) was a samurai of the late Heian period. He is known for his participation in the Hōgen rebellion in 1156. He is best known as the founder of the Ashika ...

Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). who was the founder of the Ashikaga clan and the grandson of

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

. In the

Hōgen Rebellion In Japanese, Hōgen may refer to several words. Among them: * Hōgen (era) (保元, 1156–1159), an era in Japan * Hōgen rebellion, a short civil war in 1156 * dialect (方言) — for example: "eigo no hōgen" (English dialect) See also * ...

, Yoshikane's father Yoshiyasu was one of the commanders of forces loyal to

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158, though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the ''ins ...

including father of Minamoto no Yoritomo,

Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123 – 11 February 1160) was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became ''shōgun'' and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of ...

and

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

and others. Yoshikane's mother was an adopted daughter and granddaughter of

Fujiwara no Suenori Fujiwara no Suenori (藤原季範, 1090 – December 27, 1155) was a Japanese nobleman and high priest, High Priest of Atsuta Shrine during the late Heian period, belonging to the Nanke (Fujiwara), Nanke House of the powerful Fujiwara clan. He w ...

, and was a niece of mother of Yoritomo.

Life

* 1157 ('' Hōgen 2, 5th month''): Minamoto no Yoshiyasu died, and Yoshikane became the head of the Ashikaga clan. * About 1175–1180 (''

Angen was a after '' Jōan'' and before ''Jishō.'' This period spanned the years from July 1175 through August 1177. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1175 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous ...

'', ''

Jishō was a after ''Angen'' and before ''Yōwa''. This period spanned the years from August 1177 through July 1181. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1177 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The p ...

'' eras): He visited the capital

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, and served princess Hachijyōin Akiko Naishinnō in her court as a court official Kurōdo (蔵人).

Prince Mochihito (died June 1180), also known as the Takakura Prince, and as Minamoto no Mochimitsu (源以光), was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War. Believing that Taira no Kiyomori was causing suffe ...

who called for the revolt against Heike later was Princess Akiko's adopted son.

Minamoto no Yukiie was the brother of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and one of the commanders of the Minamoto forces in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history. In 1181, he was defeated at the Battle of Sunomatagawa by Taira no Shigehira. After ...

who conveyed the command of a prince to various places became her court's Kurōdo later, too. * 1180 (''Jishō 4''): After Minamoto no Yoritomo raised an army against Heike in

Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the ...

, Yoshikane who had returned to

Ashikaga Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

Manor joined it soon afterwards. * 1181 (''

5, 2nd month''): Yoshikane married a daughter of

Hōjō Tokimasa was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186. Background The Hōj ...

, Tokiko by intermediation of Yoritomo and became the brother-in-law of him. * 1184 (''

Juei was a after ''Yōwa'' and before ''Genryaku.'' This period spanned the years from May 1182 through March 1184. The reigning emperors were Antoku''-tennō'' (安徳天皇) and . Change of era * 1182 : The new era name was created to mark an ev ...

3, 5th month''): In the subjugation of the remnants of Minamoto no Yoshitaka, son of

Minamoto no Yoshinaka , , or Lord Kiso was a general from the late Heian period of Japanese history. A member of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was his cousin and rival during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and the Taira clans. Yoshinaka was born in Musas ...

, he distinguished himself on the field of battle. * 1184 (''Juei 3, 8th month –'' ): He joined

Minamoto no Noriyori was a late Heian period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War. He was the sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Early life As children, he and his brot ...

's forces, and took part in various battles in the West Japan and defeated Heike. * 1185 ('' Bunji 1, 5th month''): He was appointed the governor of

Shimotsuke Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Tochigi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''SHimotsuke''" in . Shimotsuke was bordered by Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Hitachi Province, ...

. * 1189 ('' Bunji 5, 7th–9th month''): In the

Ōshū War Oshu or Ōshū may refer to: *Another name for Mutsu Province, a former Japanese province *Ōshū, Iwate is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 114,620 and a population density of 120 persons pe ...

, he served as one of the commanders of the Kamakura administration forces, and arrested a guardian of

Fujiwara no Yasuhira was the fourth ruler of Northern Fujiwara in Mutsu Province, Japan, the second son of Hidehira. At first protecting Yoshitsune, according to his father's will, he was finally forced by Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first ...

. * 1190 (''

Kenkyū was a after '' Bunji'' and before ''Shōji.'' This period spanned the years from April 1190 through April 1199. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1190 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The previou ...

1, 1st–3rd month''): In the Ōkawa Kanetō rebellion, he was appointed the commander in chief of the Kamakura administration forces, and subjugated the revolt. * 1195 (''

6, 3rd month''): He became a Buddhist monk; and he took the name Gishō (義称). He retreated to Kabasakidera temple in Ashikaga, Shimotsuke Province. It is said that this secluded life was to escape from political dispute.Yoritomo was appointed the '' Sei-i Taishōgun'' in 1192, plainly promoted the hindrance's exclusion for the establishment of own dictatorship. He has killed his relatives including his brother Noriyori, Yasuda Yoshisada and Yasuda Yoshisuke in successively.

Family

* Father:

* Mother: daughter of Fujiwara no Noritada * Wife: Hōjō Tokiko * Children: ** Ashikaga Yoshiuji (1189–1225) ** Ashikaga Yoshizumi (1175–1210)

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''
(''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashikaga, Yoshikane Yoshikane 1199 deaths People of Heian-period Japan People of Kamakura-period Japan Kamakura period Buddhist clergy Samurai Year of birth unknown