Who was this person?
The warrior who founded the Muromachi shogunate. He first sided with Emperor Go-Daigo to bring down the Kamakura shogunate, then, backed by warriors unhappy with the Kenmu Restoration, turned against the emperor. He installed Emperor Kōmyō in Kyoto and became shogun in 1338, opening the era of the Northern and Southern Courts.
| Name | Ashikaga Takauji (足利尊氏) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1305 – 1358 |
| Period | Late Kamakura–Muromachi |
| Birthplace | Uncertain: Tanba, Kamakura or Ashikaga (accounts differ) |
| Also known as | Ashikaga Takauji (originally written 高氏) |
| Main achievements |
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Born a son of Ashikaga Sadauji, a powerful vassal descended from the Minamoto; his mother was Uesugi Kiyoko. His first name was Takauji written with a different character.
At his coming of age he took the name Takauji, receiving a character from the regent Hōjō Takatoki; the Ashikaga had long been tied to the Hōjō by marriage.
His father died. When Go-Daigo rose, the shogunate made him take the field though he was in mourning, and the Taiheiki says his resentment grew.
Sent west with the shogunal army, he switched to the emperor's side and took the Rokuhara office in Kyoto. Nitta Yoshisada took Kamakura and the shogunate fell. Receiving a character from Go-Daigo's own name, he became Takauji.
He marched to Kamakura without permission to crush the Nakasendai Rebellion, then broke away from the new government. The emperor sent Nitta Yoshisada against him.
Beaten at Kyoto, he fled to Kyūshū, regained strength by winning at Tatarahama, defeated Kusunoki Masashige at Minatogawa, entered Kyoto and set up Emperor Kōmyō. He issued the Kenmu Code setting out warrior government.
Appointed shogun by the Northern emperor, he set up a shogunate in Kyoto (later called the Muromachi shogunate). His brother Tadayoshi ran the government while he led the warriors.
When Go-Daigo died at Yoshino, Takauji, on the Zen master Musō Soseki's advice, resolved to build Tenryū-ji to console his former foe's spirit, and sent a trading ship (the Tenryū-ji ship) to Yuan China to fund it.
A feud between his brother Tadayoshi and his retainer Kō no Moronao split the shogunate in two (Kannō Disturbance), setting brother against brother.
He forced Tadayoshi to surrender and moved him to Kamakura, but Tadayoshi soon died (some say poisoned). Fighting with the Southern Court and Tadayoshi's partisans went on.
He died in Kyoto from a battle wound. His life was one of ceaseless strife, yet Musō Soseki praised his generosity and mercy even toward enemies. His son Yoshiakira succeeded him.
A. The warrior who founded the Muromachi shogunate. He first sided with Emperor Go-Daigo to bring down the Kamakura shogunate, then, backed by warriors unhappy with the Kenmu Restoration, turned against the emperor. He installed Emperor Kōmyō in Kyoto and became shogun in 1338, opening the era of the Northern and Southern Courts.
A. Period: Late Kamakura–Muromachi. Born in 1305, died in 1358.
A. Ashikaga Takauji was born in Uncertain: Tanba, Kamakura or Ashikaga (accounts differ).
A. An era when two imperial courts coexisted: the Northern Court installed by Takauji in Kyoto, and Go-Daigo’s Southern Court at Yoshino. It lasted from about 1336 until Ashikaga Yoshimitsu reunited them in 1392.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Musō SosekiEmperor Go-DaigoAkamatsu Enshin (Norimura)Ashikaga YoshiakiraAshikaga MotoujiAshikaga MochiujiKusunoki MasashigeKō no Moronao
Kusunoki MasashigeSasaki DōyoKō no MoronaoNitta YoshisadaAshikaga TadayoshiNijō YoshimotoImagawa Sadayo (Ryōshun)Hosokawa Yoriyuki
People of the Muromachi period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.