Ashikaga Yoshimochi
Encyclopedia
was the 4th shogun
of the Ashikaga shogunate
who reigned from 1394 to 1423 during the Muromachi period
of Japan
. Yoshimochi was the son of the third shogun
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
.
In 1394, Yoshimitsu gave up his title in favor of his young son, and Yoshimochi was formally confirmed in his office as Seii Taishogun
. Despite any appearance of retirement, the old shogun didn't abandon any of his powers, and Yoshimitsu continued to maintain authority over the shogunate until his death. Yoshimochi exercised unfettered power as shogun only after his father died in 1408.
In 1398 – in the 6th year of the reign of King Taejong of Joseon
, a diplomatic mission was sent to Japan. Pak Tong-chi
and his retinue arrived in Kyoto in 1398 (Ōei
5, 8th month). Shogun Yoshimochi presented the envoy with a formal diplomatic letter; and presents were given for the envoy to convey to the Joseon court.
Significant events shape the period during which Yoshimochi was shogun:
Yoshimochi followed his father's example by formally ceding his powers to a young son, fifth shogun Ashikaga Yoshikazu
, who was then 18.
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 1394 to 1423 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...
. Yoshimochi was the son of the third 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...
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....
.
In 1394, Yoshimitsu gave up his title in favor of his young son, and Yoshimochi was formally confirmed in his office as Seii Taishogun
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...
. Despite any appearance of retirement, the old shogun didn't abandon any of his powers, and Yoshimitsu continued to maintain authority over the shogunate until his death. Yoshimochi exercised unfettered power as shogun only after his father died in 1408.
In 1398 – in the 6th year of the reign of King Taejong of Joseon
Taejong of Joseon
King Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great.-Founding of Joseon:...
, a diplomatic mission was sent to Japan. Pak Tong-chi
Pak Tong-chi
Pak Tong-chi was a Korean scholar-bureaucrat, diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the tongsinsa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1398 mission to Japan:...
and his retinue arrived in Kyoto in 1398 (Ōei
Oei
was a after Meitoku and before Shōchō. This period spanned the years from July 1394 through April 1428. Reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1394 : The new era name was created because of plague...
5, 8th month). Shogun Yoshimochi presented the envoy with a formal diplomatic letter; and presents were given for the envoy to convey to the Joseon court.
Significant events shape the period during which Yoshimochi was shogun:
- 1408 – Yoshimochi comes into his own as a shogun.
- 1409 – Ashikaga MochiujiAshikaga MochiujiAshikaga Mochiuji was the Kamakura-fu's fourth Kantō kubō during the Sengoku period in Japan. During his long and troubled rule the relationship between the west and the east of the country reached an all-time low. Kamakura was finally attacked by shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and retaken by force...
becomes 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...
. - 1411 – Yoshimochi breaks off relations with China.
- 1413 – Emperor Go-KomatsuEmperor Go-KomatsuEmperor Go-Komatsu was the 100th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is officially considered a pretender from May 24, 1382 to October 21, 1392, when Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicated...
abdicates; Emperor ShōkōEmperor ShokoEmperor Shōkō was the 101st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1412 through 1428.-Genealogy:...
ascends throne in repudiation of agreement; renewed hostility between shogunate and supporters of Southern Court. - 1415 – Dissension between Ashikaga MochiujiAshikaga MochiujiAshikaga Mochiuji was the Kamakura-fu's fourth Kantō kubō during the Sengoku period in Japan. During his long and troubled rule the relationship between the west and the east of the country reached an all-time low. Kamakura was finally attacked by shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and retaken by force...
, the 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...
in Kamakura, and Uesugi ZenshūUesugi Zenshu, also known as Uesugi Ujinori, was the chief advisor to Ashikaga Mochiuji, an enemy of the Ashikaga shogunate in feudal Japan. When he was rebuked by Mochiuji in 1415, and forced to resign, Zenshū organized a rebellion....
(the Kantō KanreiKanreior, more rarely, kanryō, was a high political post in feudal Japan; it is usually translated as Shogun's Deputy. After 1349, there were actually two Kanrei, the Kyoto Kanrei and the Kantō Kanrei....
). - 1416 – Uesugi rebels.
- 1417 – Uesugi's rebellion quelled by Mochiuji.
- 1419 – Korean attack on TsushimaTsushima IslandTsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
(Ōei InvasionOei InvasionThe , known as the Gihae Eastern Expedition in Korea, was the 1419 military expedition from Joseon against pirate bases on Tsushima Island, which is located in the middle of the Korea Strait between the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu....
). - 1420 – Serious famine with great loss of life.
- 1422 – Resurgence of Southern CourtSouthern CourtThe were a set of four emperors whose legitimate claims were usurped during the Nanboku-chō period spanning from 1336 through 1392. In spite of the legitimacy of its claims to the throne, the Southern Court was permanently replaced in 1392 by the illegitimate Northern Court.-Nanboku-chō overview:...
supporters. - 1423 – Yoshimochi cedes authority to his son.
Yoshimochi followed his father's example by formally ceding his powers to a young son, fifth shogun Ashikaga Yoshikazu
Ashikaga Yoshikazu
was the 5th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1423 to 1425 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshikazu was the son of the fourth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi....
, who was then 18.
Era of Yoshimochi's bakufu
The years in which Yoshimochi was shogan are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.- ŌeiOeiwas a after Meitoku and before Shōchō. This period spanned the years from July 1394 through April 1428. Reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1394 : The new era name was created because of plague...
(1394–1428)