was the sixth ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' of the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establis ...

who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the

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 (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by ...

of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate, ruling from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was Ashikaga Yoshiakira's third son but the oldest son to survive, his childhood name being Haruō (). Yoshimitsu was ...

. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name was Harutora ().

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Fujiwara no Yoshiko (1358–1399) * Wives: ** Hino Muneko (d. 1447) ** Sanjo Yoshiko, daughter of Sanjo Masaaki * Concubines: ** Hino Shigeko (1411–1463) ** Kozaisho no Tsubone ** Shoben-dono ** Otomi no Kata, daughter of Tamagawa no Miya and granddaughter of Emperor Chōkei * Children: ** Ashikaga Yoshikatsu by Shigeko ** Ashikaga Yoshimasa by Shigeko ** Daijin'in by Shigeko ** Ashikaga Yoshikano later Shogoin by Shigeko ** a daughter by Kozaisho ** Ashikaga Yoshimi by Kozaisho ** Ashikaga Masatomo (1435–1491) by Shoben ** Ashikaga Yoshinaga by Shoben ** Kosho'in ** Sankyo

Shogunal succession

After the death of the Fifth ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshikazu in 1425, The Fourth ''Shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimochi resumed his role as head of the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

. Yoshimochi had no other sons, nor did he name a successor before he himself died in 1428. Yoshinori, who had been a Buddhist monk since the age of ten, became '' Sei-i Taishōgun'' on the day of Yoshimochi's death. From amongst the handful of possible Ashikaga candidates, his name was selected by the shogunal deputy ('' Kanrei''),

Hatakeyama Mitsuie Hatakeyama (written: 畠山 or 畑山) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese rhythmic gymnast *, Japanese electronic musician *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese rugby union player *, Japanese shogi player ...

, who drew lots in the sanctuary of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in

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 ...

; and it was believed that Hachiman's influence had affected this auspicious choice.Keene, Donald. (2003). Significant events which shaped the period during which Yoshinori was ''shōgun'': * 1429 – Yoshinori appointed ''shōgun''.Ackroyd, Joyce. (1982) ''Lessons from History: The Tokushi Yoron'', p. 330. * 1430 – The Southern Court's army surrenders. * 1432 – Akamatsu Mitsusuke flees; Yoshinori receives rescript from China. * 1433 – Ōtomo rebels; Hieizan monks rebel. * 1434 – Tosen bugyō established to regulate foreign affairs.Kinihara, Misako
''The Establishment of the Tosen-bugyō in the Reign of Ashikaga Yoshinori" (唐船奉行の成立 : 足利義教による飯尾貞連の登用)
''Tokyo Woman's Christian University: Essays and Studies''. Abstract. * 1436 – Yasaka Pagoda at Hokanji in Kyoto destroyed by fire.
/ref> * 1438 –

Kantō kubō (also called , , or ) was a title equivalent to ''shōgun'' assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to ''Kantō kanrei'', or deputy shōgun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Kokushi Daijiten (1983:542) Motouji transferred his original titl ...

Ashikaga Mochiuji rebels – Eikyō Rebellion. * 1439 – Mochiuji commits suicide; dissatisfaction with Yoshinori grows. * 1440 – Yasaka Pagoda at Hokanji in Kyoto re-constructed by Yoshinori. * 1441 – Yoshinori grants Shimazu suzerainty over the Ryūkyū Islands; Akamatsu murders Yoshinori – Kakitsu Incident; Yamana kills Akamatsu. Yoshinori strengthened the power of the shogunate by defeating Ashikaga Mochiuji in the Eikyo Rebellion of 1438. During the period, Chinese contacts were increased and

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Buddhism gained influence, which had broad cultural consequences.JAANUS (Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System)
''Kitayama bunka''(北山文化).
/ref> For example, the '' Hon-dō'' or main hall at Ikkyu-ji is today the oldest standing Tang-style temple in the Yamashiro (southern Kyoto Prefecture) and Yamato (Nara Prefecture) Provinces. It was built in 1434 and was dedicated by Yoshinori.

Foreign relations

In 1432, trade and diplomatic relations between Japan and China] were restored. Both had been discontinued by Yoshimochi. The Chinese emperor reached out to Japan by sending a letter to the shogunate via the Realm, kingdom of the Ryūkyū Islands; Yoshinori responded favorably. According to ''Mansai Jugo Nikki'' (満済准后日記), the system of the ''Tosen-bugyō'' (唐船奉行) was established in 1434 to mediate overseas trade. The functions of the ''Tosen-bugyō'' included: (1) defending trading ships in Japanese waters, (2) procuring export goods, (3) mediating between the Muromachi shogunate and shipping interests, and (4) managing record-keeping. It is significant that the Muromachi shogunate was the first to appoint the executive officers of the samurai class to high positions in its diplomatic bureaucracy. After Yoshinori's time, the ''totosen'' (渡唐船) (the fleet of ships going from Japan to Ming China) consisted of the ships belonging principally to three different kinds of owners: the Muromachi ''shōgun'', temples, and the

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The po ...

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

''.

Assassination

Yoshinori was notorious for his oppressive measures and unpredictable dictatorial whims. In 1441, Yoshinori was assassinated by Akamatsu Noriyasu, son of Akamatsu Mitsusuke who invited him to a Noh performance at their residence and assassinated him during the evening play. Yoshinori was 48 at the age of his assassination which was organized by Mitsusuke, who had learned that Yoshinori planned to bestow three provinces belonging to him to his cousin Akamatsu Sadamura, who came to be given an important position by Yoshinori because Sadamura's younger sister became his concubine and gave birth to a son. Shortly thereafter, it was determined that his 8-year-old son, Yoshikatsu, would become the new ''shōgun''. Akamatsu Mitsusuke had already a problem in 1427 with the fifth Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who tried to confiscate his territory; Mitsusuke burned down his own residence in Kyoto and went to Harima province, and gathered his family to prepare for the battle. This infuriated Yoshimochi, who ordered to search and kill them, but the confusion continued as those who were ordered to subjugate them refused to dispatch troops. Also died in the incident Yamana Hirotaka (Shugo of Iwami province), Kyogoku Takakazu (Shugo of Yamashiro, Izumo, Oki and Hida provinces), and Ouchi Mochiyo (Shugo of Suo, Nagato, Buzen and Chikuzen provinces). Mitsusuke confined himself in Yamashiro Castle, and died with 69 members of his family on October 12, after he was attacked by the shogunal army. Although the Ashikaga line continued through this seventh shogun, the power of the ''shōguns'' gradually eroded and the shogunate fell into decline. The mere fact of that assassination and treason had become a reality served to undercut the previous military ethic of loyalty.

Eras of Yoshinori's ''bakufu''

The years in which Yoshinori was shogun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

''.Titsingh, *''

Eikyō was a after '' Shōchō'' and before '' Kakitsu''. This period spanned the years from September 1429 through February 1441. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1429 : The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the reign of Emper ...

'' (1429–1441) *'' Kakitsu'' (1441–1444)

Notes

References

* Ackroyd, Joyce. (1982) ''Lessons from History: The Tokushi Yoron.'' Brisbane:

University of Queensland Press Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house. Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...

.
OCLC 7574544
* Blum, Mark Laurence and Shinʼya Yasutomi. (2005)
''Rennyo and the Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism.''
New York:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, USA. (cloth) * Crompton, Louis, ''Homosexuality and Civilization'', Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2003. * Keene, Donald. (2003)
''Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion: The Creation of the Soul of Japan.''
New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fi ...

.
OCLC 52268947
* Kinihara, Misako
"The Establishment of the Tosenbugyo in the Reign of Ashikaga Yoshinori"
(唐船奉行の成立 : 足利義教による飯尾貞連の登用), ''Tokyo Woman's Christian University: Essays and Studies''. Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 27–53. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

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 ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 585069