Ashikaga Shigeuji
Encyclopedia
was a Muromachi period
warrior and the Kamakura-fu
's fifth and last Kantō Kubō
(Shogun Deputy). Fourth son of fourth Kubō Ashikaga Mochiuji
, he succeeded his father only in 1449, a full decade after his death by seppuku
. His childhood name was . His rule was from its onset troubled by hostilities with the central government: he was finally deposed in 1455 by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa
, after which he escaped to Koga
in Shimōsa Province, where he became known as Koga Kubō. There, he ruled until his death in 1497.
attacked and invaded Kamakura, its ruler Mochiuji committed seppuku
near today's Zuisen-ji
to escape capture. His eldest son Yoshihisa, 14 years old at the time, was also forced to kill himself at nearby Hōkoku-ji. His three younger sons however escaped to Nikkō and in 1440 were led by Yūki Ujitomo, head of the Yūki clan
, to his castle in Koga, Shimōsa province, and survived. When later Ujitomo's castle was attacked by the shogunate, they escaped. Two, Haruō-maru and Yasuō-maru, however were caught and executed, while Eijuō-maru survived. Kamakura and the Kantō would then be ruled for the shogunate by the Uesugi clan
until 1449. In that year, Eijuō-maru's uncle Ōi Mochimitsu managed to have him appointed to the post of Kantō kubō (Shogun's Deputy in the Kantō region
), the first Ashikaga to hold the post since his father's death ten years earlier. On the occasion, the 11-year old boy reached manhood and received the character for the adult name he was about to assume from shogun Yoshimasa himself (who took it from his former name) and became Shigeuji. Shogun Yoshimasa
, not trusting Shigeuji, nominated his ally Uesugi Noritada kanrei
with the task of keeping him informed of what happened in Kamakura. The relationship between the two men, already difficult because of the role the Uesugi
had had in Mochiuji's death, was therefore strained from the beginning. Tension culminated with Shigeuji's 1454 killing of Noritada, who was invited at Shigeuji's mansion and there murdered. The killing made the Kantō province fall into chaos because all Uesugi vassals rose against Shigeuji. Imagawa Noritada defeated Shigeuji and Kamakura
, and in 1455 Shigeuji had to flee to the friendly city of Koga, where in time he became known as the Koga kubō. The Uesugi asked Yoshimasa to send someone to replace Shigeuji, so he sent his younger brother Masatomo with an army to pacify Kantō, but many vassals had remained faithful to Shigeuji, so Masatomo was unable to even enter Kamakura. He had to stop in Horigoe in Izu province
, and was thereafter known as Horigoe Gosho. The Kantō therefore found itself with two rulers, one in Koga and one in Horigoe, neither of whom was able to rule.
The Kantō was, for all practical purposes, once again in the hands of the Uesugi.
This was the beginning of an era in which the Kantō and Kamakura were devastated by a series of civil wars called the Sengoku period
. War continued with on one side Masatomo and the Uesugi, on the other Shigeuji and the Chiba
, the Utsunomiya, the Oyama and other clans. In 1471 Uesugi forces arrived in Koga, so Shigeuji had to escape to Chiba
. Hostilities ceased only in 1482. Shigeuji was able to return to Koga, where he founded a dynasty and ruled until his death in 1497.
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
warrior and the Kamakura-fu
Kamakura-fu
The or was a regional government installed in Kamakura, in today's Kanagawa Prefecture, by the Ashikaga shogunate which lasted from 1349 to 1455. It was headed by a dynasty of Ashikaga rulers called Kamakura Kubō...
's fifth and last Kantō Kubō
Kanto kubo
was a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
(Shogun Deputy). Fourth son of fourth Kubō Ashikaga Mochiuji
Ashikaga Mochiuji
Ashikaga Mochiuji was the Kamakura-fu's fourth Kantō kubō during the Sengoku period in Japan. During his long and troubled rule the relationship between the west and the east of the country reached an all-time low. Kamakura was finally attacked by shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and retaken by force...
, he succeeded his father only in 1449, a full decade after his death by seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. His childhood name was . His rule was from its onset troubled by hostilities with the central government: he was finally deposed in 1455 by shogun 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....
, after which he escaped to Koga
Koga, Ibaraki
is a city located in Ibaraki, Japan.-Old City of Koga:The city has its origins in the Tokugawa period when a castle was built in the 16th century at the river crossing point and a town sprang up around it. The site of the castle is still visible near Koga 1st elementary school. The modern city was...
in Shimōsa Province, where he became known as Koga Kubō. There, he ruled until his death in 1497.
Biography
When in 1439 shogun Ashikaga YoshinoriAshikaga Yoshinori
was the 6th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.-Shogunal succession:...
attacked and invaded Kamakura, its ruler Mochiuji committed seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
near today's Zuisen-ji
Zuisen-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect in Nikaidō's near Kamakura, Japan. During the Muromachi period it was the family temple of the Ashikaga rulers of Kamakura : four of the five kubō are buried there in a private cemetery closed to the public and first kubō Ashikaga Motouji's is also known...
to escape capture. His eldest son Yoshihisa, 14 years old at the time, was also forced to kill himself at nearby Hōkoku-ji. His three younger sons however escaped to Nikkō and in 1440 were led by Yūki Ujitomo, head of the Yūki clan
Yuki clan
The Yūki family was a Japanese samurai clan composed of two branches: the Shimōsa Yūki and the Shirakawa Yūki. Descended from the famous kuge Fujiwara no Hidesato, the clan became split during the Nanboku-chō wars of the 14th century, in which one branch supported the Southern Imperial Court, and...
, to his castle in Koga, Shimōsa province, and survived. When later Ujitomo's castle was attacked by the shogunate, they escaped. Two, Haruō-maru and Yasuō-maru, however were caught and executed, while Eijuō-maru survived. Kamakura and the Kantō would then be ruled for the shogunate by the Uesugi clan
Uesugi clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
until 1449. In that year, Eijuō-maru's uncle Ōi Mochimitsu managed to have him appointed to the post of Kantō kubō (Shogun's Deputy in the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
), the first Ashikaga to hold the post since his father's death ten years earlier. On the occasion, the 11-year old boy reached manhood and received the character for the adult name he was about to assume from shogun Yoshimasa himself (who took it from his former name) and became Shigeuji. Shogun 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....
, not trusting Shigeuji, nominated his ally Uesugi Noritada kanrei
Kanrei
or, more rarely, kanryō, was a high political post in feudal Japan; it is usually translated as Shogun's Deputy. After 1349, there were actually two Kanrei, the Kyoto Kanrei and the Kantō Kanrei....
with the task of keeping him informed of what happened in Kamakura. The relationship between the two men, already difficult because of the role the Uesugi
Uesugi clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
had had in Mochiuji's death, was therefore strained from the beginning. Tension culminated with Shigeuji's 1454 killing of Noritada, who was invited at Shigeuji's mansion and there murdered. The killing made the Kantō province fall into chaos because all Uesugi vassals rose against Shigeuji. Imagawa Noritada defeated Shigeuji and Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, and in 1455 Shigeuji had to flee to the friendly city of Koga, where in time he became known as the Koga kubō. The Uesugi asked Yoshimasa to send someone to replace Shigeuji, so he sent his younger brother Masatomo with an army to pacify Kantō, but many vassals had remained faithful to Shigeuji, so Masatomo was unable to even enter Kamakura. He had to stop in Horigoe in Izu province
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of...
, and was thereafter known as Horigoe Gosho. The Kantō therefore found itself with two rulers, one in Koga and one in Horigoe, neither of whom was able to rule.
The Kantō was, for all practical purposes, once again in the hands of the Uesugi.
This was the beginning of an era in which the Kantō and Kamakura were devastated by a series of civil wars called the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. War continued with on one side Masatomo and the Uesugi, on the other Shigeuji and the Chiba
Chiba clan
The ' was a branch family of the Taira clan descended from Chiba no Suke, son of Taira no Tadatsune. Historically, they controlled the city of Chiba, outside Tokyo, and also an area called Soma which included the Grand Shrine of Ise....
, the Utsunomiya, the Oyama and other clans. In 1471 Uesugi forces arrived in Koga, so Shigeuji had to escape to Chiba
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. Hostilities ceased only in 1482. Shigeuji was able to return to Koga, where he founded a dynasty and ruled until his death in 1497.
See also
- Kantō KubōKanto kubowas a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
- Kyōtoku IncidentKyotoku IncidentThe Kyōtoku Incident was a long series of skirmishes and conflicts fought for control of the Kantō region of Japan in the 15th century. The conflict began in 1454 with the assassination of Uesugi Noritada by Kantō kubō Ashikaga Shigeuji. The Ashikaga, Uesugi, and other clans then leapt to battle,...
- Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods