Ashikaga Ujimitsu
Encyclopedia
was a Nanboku-chō period warrior and the Kamakura-fu
's second Kantō Kubō
, or Shogun Deputy. Son of first Kantō Kubō Ashikaga Motouji
, he succeeded his father in 1367 at the age of nine when this last suddenly died during an epidemic. It was during his reign that the Kanto Kubō title became common enough to appear for the first time in writing. It is in fact contained in a 1382 entry of the . This title was in itself rebellious, because it was first adopted by Takauji himself and its use therefore implied equality with the shogun. In fact, sometimes the Kanto Kubō was called Kantō Shogun.
He was the first Kantō Kubō to openly aspire to the shogunate, and his relationship with shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
in Kyoto
consequently deteriorated to the point of being likened to that of "cats and dogs".
priest Gidō Shūshin
as a tutor. (Noriaki however died the following year and was replaced by his son Yoshinori.) Immediately after Ujimitsu's accession to power, Uesugi Noriaki left Kamakura for Kyoto to represent the Kantō Kubō at Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
's accession ceremony. Taking advantage of his absence, some Musashi families, led by the Kawagoe and the Takasaka clans, revolted against Ashikaga rule in the so-called , and were soon joined by Shimotsuke province
's Utsunomiya clan. The Uesugi however remained faithful and defeated the coalition.
Ujimitsu worked continuously to define and solidify the structures of the Kamakura Bakufu he had inherited. Having gained full control of Kantō, he then conceived the idea of becoming shogun, taking avantage of the fact that shogun Yoshimitsu was busy subduing Kyūshū
. He however over the years abandoned the idea after Uesugi Noriharu committed seppuku
in protest and he came to realize his lack of reliable support from other clans like the Toki and the Kyōgoku. He ordered a campaign against Oyama Yoshimasa, a Kantō supporter of the Southern Court against the Ashikaga, who had revolted. Although Yoshimasa was defeated and killed in 1382, the fight against the Oyama clan whould continue for Ujimitsu's entire life. In 1391 he allied himself with shogun Yoshimitsu against the Yamana clan
and, although the campaign ended before he could participate, he was nonetheless rewarded with the Mutsu
and Dewa province
s.
Ujimitsu never completely abandoned the ambition to become shogun, and gradually his relationship with shogun Yoshimitsu worsened to the point of being described as one of open enmity. The fact he didn't have to suffer the consequences of the situation is probably due to the good offices of his childhood tutor Gidō Shūshin who, being in Kyoto, could intercede for him with Yoshimitsu, but also to the mediation of the Uesugi and to his work against the Oyama clan, which had served the interests of the Ashikaga's Kansai
branch.
He died at the age of 41 and was buried at a Rinzai temple near Kamakura called , later incorporated in Zuisen-ji
). This is the same temple where in his grandson Mochiuji
, defeated in 1439 by Kyoto's army, would commit seppuku
disembowel himself to avoid the shame of capture.
On the spot near Zuisen-ji where Yōan-ji used to be stands a stele, which reads:
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 second 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...
, or Shogun Deputy. Son of first Kantō Kubō Ashikaga Motouji
Ashikaga Motouji
-See also:* Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods* The article Nanboku-chō period...
, he succeeded his father in 1367 at the age of nine when this last suddenly died during an epidemic. It was during his reign that the Kanto Kubō title became common enough to appear for the first time in writing. It is in fact contained in a 1382 entry of the . This title was in itself rebellious, because it was first adopted by Takauji himself and its use therefore implied equality with the shogun. In fact, sometimes the Kanto Kubō was called Kantō Shogun.
He was the first Kantō Kubō to openly aspire to the shogunate, and his relationship with shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who ruled from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
consequently deteriorated to the point of being likened to that of "cats and dogs".
Biography
Ujimitsu became Kantō Kubō at the age of nine when his father suddenly died at the age of 29 during an epidemic. Because of his extremely young age, he was given Uesugi Noriaki as a regent and Rinzai ZenZen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
priest Gidō Shūshin
Gido Shushin
, 1325–1388), Japanese luminary of the Zen Rinzai sect, was a master of poetry and prose in Chinese . Gidō’s own diary relates how as a child he discovered and treasured the Zen classic Rinzairoku in his father’s library. He was born in Tosa on the island of Shikoku and began formal study of...
as a tutor. (Noriaki however died the following year and was replaced by his son Yoshinori.) Immediately after Ujimitsu's accession to power, Uesugi Noriaki left Kamakura for Kyoto to represent the Kantō Kubō at Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who ruled from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
's accession ceremony. Taking advantage of his absence, some Musashi families, led by the Kawagoe and the Takasaka clans, revolted against Ashikaga rule in the so-called , and were soon joined by Shimotsuke province
Shimotsuke Province
is an old province of Japan in the area of Tochigi Prefecture in the Kanto region. It was sometimes called or .The ancient capital of the province was near the city of Tochigi, but in feudal times the main center of the province was near the modern capital, Utsunomiya.-History:Different parts of...
's Utsunomiya clan. The Uesugi however remained faithful and defeated the coalition.
Ujimitsu worked continuously to define and solidify the structures of the Kamakura Bakufu he had inherited. Having gained full control of Kantō, he then conceived the idea of becoming shogun, taking avantage of the fact that shogun Yoshimitsu was busy subduing Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. He however over the years abandoned the idea after Uesugi Noriharu 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...
in protest and he came to realize his lack of reliable support from other clans like the Toki and the Kyōgoku. He ordered a campaign against Oyama Yoshimasa, a Kantō supporter of the Southern Court against the Ashikaga, who had revolted. Although Yoshimasa was defeated and killed in 1382, the fight against the Oyama clan whould continue for Ujimitsu's entire life. In 1391 he allied himself with shogun Yoshimitsu against the Yamana clan
Yamana clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan which was one of the most powerful of the Muromachi period ; at its peak, members of the family held the position of Constable over eleven provinces. Originally from Kōzuke province, and later centered in Inaba province, the clan claimed descendance from the Seiwa...
and, although the campaign ended before he could participate, he was nonetheless rewarded with the Mutsu
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
and Dewa province
Dewa Province
is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
s.
Ujimitsu never completely abandoned the ambition to become shogun, and gradually his relationship with shogun Yoshimitsu worsened to the point of being described as one of open enmity. The fact he didn't have to suffer the consequences of the situation is probably due to the good offices of his childhood tutor Gidō Shūshin who, being in Kyoto, could intercede for him with Yoshimitsu, but also to the mediation of the Uesugi and to his work against the Oyama clan, which had served the interests of the Ashikaga's Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
branch.
He died at the age of 41 and was buried at a Rinzai temple near Kamakura called , later incorporated in 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...
). This is the same temple where in his grandson 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...
, defeated in 1439 by Kyoto's army, would commit 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...
disembowel himself to avoid the shame of capture.
On the spot near Zuisen-ji where Yōan-ji used to be stands a stele, which reads:
When Kantō kubō Ashikaga Ujimitsu died on January 11, 1398, he was given the posthumous namePosthumous nameA posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
. His son Mitsukane built this temple and gave it his father's posthumous name. The temple's oshōOshoOshō is the Japanese reading of the Chinese he shang , meaning a high-ranking Buddhist monk or highly virtuous Buddhist monk. It is also a respectful designation for Buddhist monks in general and may be used with the suffix -san...
Dombo Ushūō was a follower of Musō SosekiMuso Sosekiwas a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and teacher, and a calligraphist, poet and garden designer. The most famous monk of his time, he is also known as , a posthumous name given him by Emperor Go-Daigo...
. On March 24, 1439 kubō Mochiuji, a descendant of Ujimitsu, fought here against shogun Yoshinori, was defeated and disemboweled himself. The temple was burned and never rebuilt. This is where it stood.
Erected by the Kamakuramachi Seinendan in March 1926
See also
- Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods
- 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...
- Nanboku-chō period
See also
- Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods
- The article Nanboku-chō period