The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.

The Ashikaga shogunate was established when Ashikaga Takauji was appointed Shōgun after overthrowing the Kenmu Restoration shortly after it had overthrown the Kamakura shogunate in support of Emperor Go-Daigo. The Ashikaga clan governed Japan from the Imperial capital of Heian-kyō (Kyoto) as de facto military dictators along with the daimyō lords of the samurai class. The Ashikaga shogunate began the Nanboku-chō period between the Pro-Ashikaga Northern Court in Kyoto and the Pro-Go-Daigo Southern Court in Yoshino until the South conceded to the North in 1392. The Ashikaga shogunate focused on the arts and improving trades rather than obtaining control of surrounding territories, leaving them weak militarily. This propelled the Ashikaga shogunate collapse, upon outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, entering a state of constant civil war known as the Sengoku period, and was finally dissolved when Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki was overthrown by Oda Nobunaga in 1573.

The Ashikaga shogunate's alternative name Muromachi and the Muromachi period are derived from the Muromachi district of Kyoto, where the third Shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, established his residence nicknamed the on Muromachi Street in 1379..

Government structure

thumb|right|Structure of the bakufu

The Ashikaga shogunate was the weakest of the three Japanese military governments. Unlike its predecessor, the Kamakura shogunate, or its successor, the Tokugawa shogunate, when Ashikaga Takauji established his government he had little personal territory with which to support his rule. The Ashikaga shogunate was thus heavily reliant on the prestige and personal authority of its shōgun. The centralized master-vassal system used in the Kamakura system was replaced with the highly de-centralized daimyōs (local lord) system, and because of the lack of direct territories, the military power of the shōgun depended heavily on the loyalty of the daimyō.

On the other hand, the Imperial court was no longer a credible threat to military rule. The failure of the Kenmu Restoration had rendered the court weak and subservient, a situation that Ashikaga Takauji reinforced by establishing his court near to the Emperor in Kyoto. The authority of the local daimyō greatly expanded from that of Kamakura times. In addition to military and policing responsibilities, the shogunate-appointed shugo now absorbed the judicial, economic, and taxation powers of the local Imperial governors, while the government holdings in each province were rapidly absorbed into the personal holdings of the daimyō or their vassals. The loss of both political clout and an economic base deprived the Imperial court of much of its power, which were then assumed by the Ashikaga shōgun. This situation reached its peak under the rule of the third shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

After Yoshimitsu however, the structural weakness of the Ashikaga shogunate was exposed by numerous succession troubles and early deaths. This became dramatically more acute after the Ōnin War, after which the shogunate itself became reduced to little more than a local political force in Kyoto.

Foreign relations

The Ashikaga shogunate's foreign relations policy choices were played out in evolving contacts with Joseon on the Korean Peninsula and with imperial China. The utilization of daimyo was essential for these trades; daimyo located on the Tsushima Island acted as a middleman for trades between the Ashikaga shoguns and Joseon Korea. The relationship between China was active until China adopted Confucian values. Yet the trades did not slow, rather exchanging products with each other and labeling them as offerings from emperor to emperor. Yoshimitsu, at the age of ten, expanded on the trade relations with other empires. Receiving major quantities of porcelain, silk, and bronze coins from China. In return, he sent swords, lumber, and ores as gifts to China. There was also marginal trading done with Southeast Asia, sending out similar items, with the addition of furs, to acquire spices or other kinds of lumber. The lack of government control was especially acute when the daimyō feuded among themselves in the pursuit of power during the Ōnin War (1467–1477), until it erupted into open warfare in the late Muromachi period, also known as the Sengoku period.

When the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru was assassinated in 1565, an ambitious daimyō, Oda Nobunaga, seized the opportunity and installed Yoshiteru's brother Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th Ashikaga shōgun and Nobunaga's puppet. However Yoshiaki was not entirely subservient to Nobunaga: he continued to strike bargains amongst the monasteries to gain favor, and mediated between powerful clans such as the Otomo and Mori.. The tea ceremony, was a transformed from a large open room, to a small quiet setting. Tea became more of a meditation method and something to practice to relax and find elements of Zen. The Noh Theater was also created in this time period. The performances were enjoyed by nobles and elites, and was heavily protected. Helping to expand themes of shows and create poetry. During the times of the Onin war, the art of performance had suffered but was quickly resurrected when power had fully shifted.

Palace remains

thumb|Marker for the site of the Flower Palace, Kyoto

The shogunal residence, also known as the "Flower Palace", was in Kyoto on the block now bounded by Karasuma Street (to the east), Imadegawa Street (to the south), Muromachi Street (to the west, giving the name), and Kamidachiuri Street (to the north). The location is commemorated by a stone marker at the southwest corner, and the of Dōshisha University contains relics and excavations of the area.

List of Ashikaga shōgun

  1. Ashikaga Takauji, ruled 1338–1357
  2. Ashikaga Yoshiakira, r. 1359–1368
  3. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, r. 1368–1394
  4. Ashikaga Yoshimochi, r. 1395–1423
  5. Ashikaga Yoshikazu, r. 1423–1425
  6. Responsibilities of government undertook by Ashikaga Yoshimochi, (1425–1428)
  7. Ashikaga Yoshinori, r. 1428–1441
  8. Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, r. 1442–1443
  9. Ashikaga Yoshimasa, r. 1449–1473
  10. Ashikaga Yoshihisa, r. 1474–1489
  11. Ashikaga Yoshitane, r. 1490–1493, 1508–1521
  12. Ashikaga Yoshizumi, r. 1494–1508
  13. Ashikaga Yoshiharu, r. 1521–1546
  14. Ashikaga Yoshiteru, r. 1546–1565
  15. Ashikaga Yoshihide, r. 1568
  16. Ashikaga Yoshiaki, r. 1568–1573

See also

  • Ashikaga clan
  • History of Japan
  • Japanese missions to Imperial China
  • Kantō kubō
  • Ōban (Great Watch)

Notes

References

Bibliography