Hosokawa Takakuni was the most powerful military commander in the Muromachi period

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...

 under Ashikaga Yoshiharu

Ashikaga Yoshiharu

was the 12th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who held the reins of supreme power from 1521 through 1546 during the late Muromachi period of Japan...

, the twelfth shogun

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

. His father was Hosokawa Masaharu, who was the branch of the Hosokawa clan

Hosokawa clan

The ' was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration. In the Edo period, the Hosokawa clan was one of the largest landholding daimyo families in Japan...

.

In 1507, Hosokawa Masamoto

Hosokawa Masamoto

a notable Deputy-Shogun of the Hosokawa clan of Japan, and son of Hosokawa Katsumoto. Masamoto was appointed to this very high rank during the year of 1486. However, for a brief period this title was lost by Hatakeyama Masanaga but was regained in time. When Ashikaga Yoshihisa died childless during...

 was killed by the foster son, Hosokawa Sumiyuki who was cut off by Masamoto. Takakuni supported Hosokawa Sumimoto

Hosokawa Sumimoto

was a samurai commander in the Muromachi period during the 16th century of Japan.Sumimoto was one of the few sons of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and an adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, who was the Kanrei of the Ashikaga shogunate...

 and got the credit for putting down Sumiyuki. Because of that, he came to participated in the Muromachi shogunate in depth.

In 1508, when Ōuchi Yoshioki

Ouchi Yoshioki

was a samurai of the Ōuchi family who lived during Japan's early Sengoku period. He is famous for his role in restoring the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane to power in 1508, and in building Saijō castle....

 marched his armies into Kyoto having Ashikaga Yoshiki (Ashikaga Yoshitane) who was the former shogun

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

 and had escaped to Suo Province

Suo Province

was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces....

 as his boss, Takakuni conspired with them and purged the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshizumi

Ashikaga Yoshizumi

was the 11th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1494 to 1508 during the Muromachi period of Japan. He was the son of Ashikaga Masatomo and grandson of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori. Yoshizumi was first called Yoshitō , then Yoshitaka.Yoshizumi was adopted by the 8th shogun...

 and Sumimoto to Ōmi Province

Omi Province

is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...

.

Takakuni and Yoshioki took hold of the Muromachi shogunate. Takakuni took over as head of the Hosokawa clan and took up the post of 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....

. In addition, he also held the post of Shugo

Shugo

was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...

 of Settsu Province

Settsu Province

was a province of Japan, which today comprises the eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province.-History:...

, Tamba Province

Tamba Province

was an old province of Japan. The ambit of its borders encompassed both the central part of modern Kyoto Prefecture and the east-central part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Tango Province...

, Sanuki Province

Sanuki Province

was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of...

 and Tosa Province

Tosa Province

is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo and Awa Provinces. It was sometimes called .-History:The ancient capital was near modern Nankoku...

. In 1518, he monopolize powers of the shogunate after Yoshioki went back to his domain. In 1521, Yoshiki hated to be a puppet shogun, and escaped to Awa Province

Awa Province (Tokushima)

was an old province of Japan in the area that is today a part of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. Awa was bordered by Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo Provinces. It was sometimes called .-References:...

. Takakuni made Ashikaga Yoshiharu

Ashikaga Yoshiharu

was the 12th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who held the reins of supreme power from 1521 through 1546 during the late Muromachi period of Japan...

 who was the son of Yoshizumi take up the post of shogun.

Takakuni took Yanagimoto Kataharu, the younger brother of Kanishi Motomori, chief vassal of the Hosokawa clan, as his wakashu and the two swore eternal love to each other. Kataharu, even after reaching adulthood, remained a favorite vassal. However, as a result of a calumny by his own cousin, Takakuni felt obliged to have Motomori killed. Though initially appeased by his lord, Yanagimoto shortly joined with another brother against the cousin to avenge Motomori's death. ("The Love of the Samurai: A Thousand Years of Japanese Homosexuality" by Tsuneo Watanabe and Jun'ichi Iwata; p. 51)

In 1527, he was purged from Kyoto by Miyoshi Motonaga and Hosokawa Harumoto

Hosokawa Harumoto

was a Japanese daimyo of the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, and the head of the Hosokawa clan. Harumoto's childhood name was Sōmei-maru . He was born to Hosokawa Sumimoto, another renowned samurai of the Muromachi era....

.
In 1531, his army was defeated, and hiding in a store room for alcoholic beverage at Amagasaki, Settsu Province, he was detected and committed suicide.