Who was this person?
The ninth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. Born to the eighth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Hino Tomiko, his succession dispute with his uncle Ashikaga Yoshimi was one of the causes of the Ōnin War. He became shogun at eight and later led an army himself against Rokkaku Takayori in Ōmi, but fell ill in camp and died young in 1489. He was also known for his love of waka poetry and learning.
| Name | Ashikaga Yoshihisa (足利義尚) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1465 – 1489 |
| Period | Muromachi period |
| Birthplace | Kyoto, Yamashiro Province |
| Also known as | Ashikaga Yoshihiro (later name) |
| Main achievements |
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He was born to the eighth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and his principal wife, Hino Tomiko. Having no son, Yoshimasa had already named his younger brother Yoshimi as heir, so Yoshihisa's birth raised the difficult question of whether Yoshimi or Yoshihisa should be the next shogun.
Ise Sadachika, Yoshihisa's guardian and head of the shogunate's administrative office, accused Yoshimi of plotting rebellion and tried to remove him. But Yoshimi turned to Hosokawa Katsumoto, and when Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen protested together, it was Sadachika who was driven from Kyoto.
The Ōnin War broke out as disputes such as the Hatakeyama succession merged with the rivalry between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen. Tomiko's reliance on Sōzen to back Yoshihisa has long been counted among the causes, but recent views hold that the shogunal succession mattered little (opinions differ).
When Yoshimasa recalled Ise Sadachika to government, Yoshimi, angered, took refuge with the Western Army. This closed Yoshimi's path to becoming shogun, and the still very young Yoshihisa was confirmed as heir to the shogunal house.
This year Yamana Sōzen of the Western Army and Hosokawa Katsumoto of the Eastern Army died one after the other. In the twelfth month Yoshihisa came of age, received the office of shogun from his father and became the ninth shogun. Because he was still a child, real power lay with Yoshimasa, Tomiko and her brother Hino Katsumitsu.
The Ōnin War, which had lasted eleven years, ended without a clear victor, and the lords of the Western Army withdrew to their own provinces. Much of Kyoto had burned and the shogunate's power had declined. Across the country, gekokujō, in which retainers overpowered their masters, grew stronger.
He performed ceremonies such as first signing documents with his monogram as shogun, and began to govern in person. But his father Yoshimasa would not readily give up his authority, and discord grew between father and son. It is said that in frustration Yoshihisa once even cut off his topknot in protest.
He was eager for learning, and the scholar Ichijō Kaneyoshi, a former regent, wrote and presented to him the Shōdan Chiyō, a guide to government. Yoshihisa especially loved waka poetry, holding poetry gatherings and trying to compile anthologies, and was known as a shogun devoted to culture.
Yoshimasa moved to his Higashiyama villa and declared his retirement from politics, but in fact kept some powers. Yoshihisa also got along poorly with his mother Tomiko and went to live in the residence of the shogunal official Ise Sadamune; discord within the shogun's family is said to have continued.
Because Rokkaku Takayori, the governor of Ōmi, had seized lands of nobles, temples and shrines, Yoshihisa personally led a large army out to show the shogun's power. As Takayori fled into the mountains and kept resisting, Yoshihisa set up camp at Magari (now Rittō, Shiga) and governed from there. This is called the Magari camp.
After more than a year of life in camp his health broke down, and in the third month he died of illness at the Magari camp. The young shogun's death was widely mourned, and his body was escorted back to Kyoto by the kanrei Hosokawa Masamoto and others. The office of shogun passed to his cousin Ashikaga Yoshiki (later Yoshitane).
A. The ninth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. Born to the eighth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Hino Tomiko, his succession dispute with his uncle Ashikaga Yoshimi was one of the causes of the Ōnin War. He became shogun at eight and later led an army himself against Rokkaku Takayori in Ōmi, but fell ill in camp and died young in 1489. He was also known for his love of waka poetry and learning.
A. Period: Muromachi period. Born in 1465, died in 1489.
A. Ashikaga Yoshihisa was born in Kyoto, Yamashiro Province.
A. In 1487 Yoshihisa personally led an army to Magari in Ōmi (now Rittō, Shiga) to punish Rokkaku Takayori, who defied the shogunate. As the campaign dragged on, Yoshihisa died in this camp in 1489.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Ichijō KaneyoshiYamana SōzenHosokawa KatsumotoHōjō Sōun (Ise Sōzui)Ashikaga YoshimasaHino TomikoHosokawa MasamotoAshikaga Yoshitane
Ōta DōkanAshikaga YoshimasaAshikaga YoshimiHino TomikoHatakeyama MasanagaHosokawa MasamotoAshikaga YoshitaneŌuchi Yoshioki
People of the Muromachi period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.