All Topics  
Ashikaga shogunate

 
Ashikaga Shogunate

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Ashikaga shogunate
 
 
  Topics Ashikaga shogunate Topic Home

The was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shogun
Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
s of the Ashikaga family.

This period is also known as the Muromachi period
Muromachi period

The was a division of History of Japan running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji....
 and gets its name from the Muromachi street of Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 where the third shogun Yoshimitsu established his residence.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Ashikaga shogunate'
Start a new discussion about 'Ashikaga shogunate'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Muromachibakufumarker
The was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shogun
Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
s of the Ashikaga family.

This period is also known as the Muromachi period
Muromachi period

The was a division of History of Japan running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji....
 and gets its name from the Muromachi street of Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 where the third shogun Yoshimitsu established his residence. This residence is nicknamed "Hana no Gosho" or "Flower Palace" (constructed in 1379) because of the abundance of flowers in its landscaping.

Beginning


During the preceding Kamakura period
Kamakura period

The is a period of History of Japan that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
 (1185–1333), the Hojo clan
Hojo clan

See the late Hojo clan for the Hojo clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken, officially just a regent) of the Kamakura Shogunate....
 enjoyed absolute power in the governing of Japan. This monopoly of power, as well as the lack of a reward of lands after the defeat of Mongol invasion
Mongol invasions of Japan

The of 1274 and 1281 were major military invasions and conquests undertaken by Kublai Khan to take the Japanese islands after the capitulation of Goryeo....
, led to simmering resentment among Hojo vassals. Finally, in 1333, the Emperor Go-Daigo
Emperor Go-Daigo

Emperor Go-Daigo was the 96th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Post-Meiji period historians construe the years of his reign spanning 1318 through 1339; however, pre-Meiji accounts of his reign considered the years of his reign to last only between 1318 and 1332, when he was said to have be...
 ordered local governing vassals to oppose Hojo rule, in favor of Imperial restoration, in the Kemmu Restoration
Kemmu restoration

The is the short period of Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period. It represents the effort made by Emperor Go-Daigo to bring the Imperial House and the nobility it represented back into power, thus restoring a civilian government after almost a century and a half of military rule....
.

To counter this revolt, the Kamakura bakufu ordered Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji

was the founder and 1st shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358....
 to quash the uprising. For reasons that are unclear, possibly because Ashikaga was the de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 leader of the powerless Minamoto clan
Minamoto clan

was one of the honorary surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan of the Heian Period on those of their sons and grandsons who were not considered eligible for the throne....
, while the Hojo clan were from the Taira clan
Taira clan

The was a major Japanese clan in historical Japan.In reference to History of Japan, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects....
 the Minamoto had previously defeated, Ashikaga turned against the Kamakura bakufu, and fought on behalf of the Imperial court.

After the successful overthrow of the Kamakura bakufu in 1336, Ashikaga Takauji set up his own bakufu in Kyoto.

North and South Court


After Ashikaga Takauji established himself as the Seii Taishogun, a dispute arose with the Emperor Go-Daigo on the subject of how to govern the country. That dispute led Takauji to cause Yutahito, the second son of Emperor Go-Fushimi
Emperor Go-Fushimi

Emperor Go-Fushimi was the 93rd Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1298 to 1301....
, to be installed as Emperor Komyo
Emperor Komyo

Emperor Komyo was the second of the Northern Court , although he was actually the first to be supported by the Ashikaga Shogunate. According to pre-Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1336 through 1348....
. Go-Daigo fled, and the country was divided between a North Court (in favor of Komyo and Ashikaga), and a South Court (in favor of Go-Daigo). This period of North and South Courts (Nanboku-cho
Nanboku-cho

The , spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi bakufu of Japan's history. During this period, there existed a Northern Court , established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino District, Nara....
) continued for 56 years, until 1392, when the South Court gave up during the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Government Structure


In part because Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji

was the founder and 1st shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358....
 established his shogunate by siding with the Emperor against the previous Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a feudal military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura, Kanagawa....
, the Ashikagas shared more of the governmental authority with the Imperial government than the Kamakura shogunate had. Thus, it was a weaker shogunate than the Kamakura shogunate or the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
. The centralized master-vassal system used in the Kamakura system was replaced with the highly de-centralized daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 (local lord) system, and the military power of the Ashikaga shogunate depended heavily on the loyalty of the daimyo.

Fall of the Shogunate


As the daimyo increasingly feuded among themselves in the pursuit of power in the Onin War
Onin War

The was a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
, that loyalty grew increasingly strained, until it erupted into open warfare in the late Muromachi period, also known as the Sengoku Period
Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
.

When the last effective Ashikaga shogun Yoshiteru
Ashikaga Yoshiteru

File:Ashikaga yoshiteru2.jpg, also known as Yoshihusi, was the 13th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan....
 was assassinated in 1565, an ambitious daimyo, Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, seized the opportunity and installed Yoshiteru's brother Ashikaga Yoshiaki
Ashikaga Yoshiaki

File:Yoshiaki.jpg was the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573. His father, Ashikaga Yoshiharu was the twelfth shogun, and his brother, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was the thirteenth shogun....
 as the 15th Ashikaga shogun. However, Yoshiaki was only a puppet shogun.

The Ashikaga shogunate was finally destroyed in 1573 when Nobunaga drove Ashikaga Yoshiaki out of Kyoto. Initially, Yoshiaki fled to Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
. Afterwards, Yoshiaki sought and received protection from the Mori clan in western Japan. Later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
 requested that Yoshiaki accept him as an adopted son and the 16th Ashikaga Shogun, but Yoshiaki refused.

The Ashikaga family survived the 16th century, and a branch of it became the daimyo family of the Kitsuregawa domain.

List of Ashikaga Shoguns


  1. Ashikaga Takauji
    Ashikaga Takauji

    was the founder and 1st shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358....
    , ruled 1338–1358
  2. Ashikaga Yoshiakira
    Ashikaga Yoshiakira

    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....
    , r. 1359–1368
  3. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
    Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

    was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
    , r. 1368–1394
  4. Ashikaga Yoshimochi
    Ashikaga Yoshimochi

    File:Ashikaga Yoshimochi.jpg 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....
    , r. 1395–1423
  5. 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....
    , r. 1423–1425
  6. Ashikaga Yoshinori
    Ashikaga Yoshinori

    File:Ashikaga Yoshinori.jpgAshikaga Yoshinori was the 6th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan....
    , r. 1429–1441
  7. Ashikaga Yoshikatsu
    Ashikaga Yoshikatsu

    was the 7th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1442 to 1443 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshikatsu was the son of the 6th shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....
    , r. 1442–1443
  8. Ashikaga Yoshimasa
    Ashikaga Yoshimasa

    was the 8th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimasa was the son of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....
    , r. 1449–1473)
  9. Ashikaga Yoshihisa
    Ashikaga Yoshihisa

    was the 9th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1473 to 1489 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshihisa was the son of the eighth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa....
    , r. 1474–1489
  10. Ashikaga Yoshitane
    Ashikaga Yoshitane

    , also known as Ashikaga Yoshimura, was the 10th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who headed the shogunate first from 1490 to 1493 and then again from 1508 to 1521 during the Muromachi period of Japan....
    , r. 1490–1493, 1508–1521
  11. Ashikaga Yoshizumi
    Ashikaga Yoshizumi

    was the 11th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1494 to 1508 during the Muromachi period of Japan. He was the son of Ashikaga Masatomo and grandson of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....
    , r. 1495–1508
  12. Ashikaga Yoshiharu
    Ashikaga Yoshiharu

    File:????.jpg was the 12th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who held the reigns of supreme power from 1521 through 1546 during the late Muromachi period of Japan....
    , r. 1522–1547
  13. Ashikaga Yoshiteru
    Ashikaga Yoshiteru

    File:Ashikaga yoshiteru2.jpg, also known as Yoshihusi, was the 13th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan....
    , r. 1547–1565
  14. Ashikaga Yoshihide
    Ashikaga Yoshihide

    was the 14th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who held nominal power for a few months in 1568 during the Muromachi period of Japan. When he became shogun, he changed his name to Yoshinaga, but he is more conventionally recognized today by the name Yoshihide....
    , r. 1568
  15. Ashikaga Yoshiaki
    Ashikaga Yoshiaki

    File:Yoshiaki.jpg was the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573. His father, Ashikaga Yoshiharu was the twelfth shogun, and his brother, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was the thirteenth shogun....
    , r. 1568–1573


See also

  • shogun
    Shogun

    is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
  • History of Japan
    History of Japan

    The written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
  • Lists of incumbents
  • Kamakura period
    Kamakura period

    The is a period of History of Japan that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
  • Muromachi period
    Muromachi period

    The was a division of History of Japan running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji....
  • Nanboku-cho
    Nanboku-cho

    The , spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi bakufu of Japan's history. During this period, there existed a Northern Court , established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino District, Nara....
  • Ashikaga clan
    Ashikaga clan

    The was a prominent Japanese samurai Japanese clans which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga, Tochigi in Shimotsuke province ....
  • Ashikaga Takauji
    Ashikaga Takauji

    was the founder and 1st shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358....
  • Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
    Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

    was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
  • Ashikaga Yoshiteru
    Ashikaga Yoshiteru

    File:Ashikaga yoshiteru2.jpg, also known as Yoshihusi, was the 13th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan....