Born into the Nijō, one of the regent houses, as the son of the kampaku Nijō Michihira. His mother was a daughter of the Minister of the Right Imadegawa Kin'aki. From childhood he studied waka, Chinese learning and court ritual, raised with care as heir to a great house.
He came of age, received court rank and at first served Emperor Go-Daigo. As a boy, Yoshimoto watched from inside the court as the emperor overthrew the Kamakura shogunate and began the Kenmu Restoration, a time of great change.
When Ashikaga Takauji enthroned Emperor Kōmyō and Go-Daigo moved to Yoshino, the court split in two (the Northern and Southern Courts). His father Michihira had already died; Yoshimoto chose to stay in Kyoto and serve the Northern Court, and was soon given heavy duties while still young.
At 26 he became kampaku to Emperor Kōmyō. He worked hard to revive court ceremonies and events that war had often interrupted, leaving many detailed records and books of etiquette. From then on he was a central pillar of the Northern Court.
When Southern Court forces attacked Kyoto, he fled with Emperor Go-Kōgon to Kojima in Mino (Gifu). He recorded the hard journey and the days spent at the temporary palace in a kana travel account, Kojima no Susami.
With the help of his renga teacher Gusai, he compiled the Tsukubashū, a renga anthology in 20 volumes. It gathered about 2,190 fine verses from early times to his own day, including many by warriors such as Ashikaga Takauji and Sasaki Dōyo.
With backing from Sasaki Dōyo and others, the Tsukubashū was given the status of a quasi-imperial anthology, treated almost like one compiled by imperial order. Renga was thus recognized not as a pastime beside waka but as an art of its own.
He organized the detailed rules for composing renga and set them down as the Ōan Rules. Rules that had varied from place to place were unified, and this code long remained the basis of renga in later ages. He also wrote works on renga theory such as Tsukuba Mondō.
Around this time he greatly admired the talent of a young sarugaku performer, Fujiwaka (later Zeami). Yoshimoto himself gave him the name Fujiwaka, and left a letter praising his grace and his gift for kemari and renga. Zeami's theories of his art show the influence of Yoshimoto's thinking on renga.
As the young shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu entered the world of the court, Yoshimoto taught him court ritual and culture and became his patron. With his help Yoshimitsu won respect among the nobles too, and in time became a ruler who held sway over both court and warriors.
When Emperor Go-Komatsu came to the throne as a child, Yoshimoto soon became his regent. He went on to serve as regent and kampaku again and again, long supporting the Northern Court. He also left Gumon Kenchū, a work on poetry drawn from dialogues with his waka teacher Ton'a.
In his last years he wrote Kinrai Fūteishō, a work on poetry describing the verse of the poets of his day and what waka ought to be. Some also believe he wrote the historical tale Masukagami, though this is debated.
That year he was named kampaku for the third time, but died only about two months later. Not only a statesman, he was a man of culture who perfected renga and opened the path that later masters such as Sōgi would follow.
Emperor Go-DaigoSasaki DōyoAshikaga YoshimitsuZeamiSōgiMansaiAshikaga Takauji
Kō no MoronaoNitta YoshisadaAshikaga TakaujiAshikaga TadayoshiImagawa Sadayo (Ryōshun)Hosokawa YoriyukiAshikaga YoshiakiraKan'ami
People of the Muromachi period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.