Ouchi Yoshihiro
Encyclopedia
, also known as Ouchi Sakyo-no-Tayu, was a Muromachi period
samurai
clan head and military leader.
Yoshirio was the second son of Ōuchi Hiroyo, and a member of the Ōuchi family
which served under Ashikaga Takauji
. The Ōuchi became known as the shugo
of Suō
and Nagato
in 1363 for assisting the Ashikaga
against many other opponents. Yoshihiro along with his father both also assisted Imagawa Sadayo
in his Kyūshū campaign
. After Yoshihiro's father died during the year of 1379, Yoshihiro and his brother both became involved into a power struggle. Yoshihiro ended up defeating his brother at Sakariyama in 1380. During the year of 1391, in the name of the shogun
, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
, Yoshihiro led an army against the Southern Court adherents in the Capital region. Due to Yoshihiro's actions, Yoshimitsu awarded him with two more provinces.
Yoshihiro's greatest contribution to the Ashikaga took place during the year of 1392, When Yoshihiro convinced the Southern Court Emperor to surrender, thus bringing to a close the Nanboku-chō period, also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period. Afterwards, the shogun told Yoshihiro to build him a villa at Kitayama, in which Yoshihiro thought was an unreasonable demand. Due to this ironic fact, the Ōuchi revolted against the Bakufu. Yoshihiro was supported by many other Shugo, and withdrew his forces from Kyoto
to the city of Sakai
. The shogun, Yoshimitsu however wanted to solve the problem peacefully, but Yoshiro demanded to go out to battle him. Due to this fact, the shogun made the first move. Yoshimitsu gathered the armies of Hatakeyama
, Hosokawa
, and the Shiba
, and moved to the land of Sakai. Yoshihiro however made an agreement with some Inland Sea pirates to create a naval blockade against the enemy forces.
Yoshimitsu was then assisted by Ashikaga Mitsukane
who promised that he would assist him. All was not going well for Yoshihiro due to his Iwami
and Izumi
troops proving to be incompletely unreliable. Due to this fact, Yoshihiro's army seemed generally stubborn, and incompetent. During the 12th month of 1399 Bakufu troops managed to set fire to the city, and Yoshihiro ended up having to commit suicide from the invading forces under Yoshimitsu. Apart from military actions, Yoshihiro was involved with trading between China and worked towards securing Ōuchi dominance in that area.
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...
samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
clan head and military leader.
Yoshirio was the second son of Ōuchi Hiroyo, and a member of the Ōuchi family
Ouchi family
The ' was one of the most powerful and important families in Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate in the 12th to 14th centuries descended from the Korean Baekje Dynasty's Royal family...
which served under Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
. The Ōuchi became known as the 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 Suō
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....
and Nagato
Nagato Province
, often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces....
in 1363 for assisting the Ashikaga
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
against many other opponents. Yoshihiro along with his father both also assisted Imagawa Sadayo
Imagawa Sadayo
, also known as ', was a renowned Japanese poet and military commander who served as tandai of Kyūshū under the Ashikaga Bakufu from 1371 to 1395. His father, Imagawa Norikuni, had been a supporter of the first Ashikaga Shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, and for his services had been granted the position...
in his Kyūshū campaign
Kyushu Campaign
The Kyūshū Campaign of 1586-1587 was part of the campaigns of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who sought to dominate Japan at the end of the Sengoku period...
. After Yoshihiro's father died during the year of 1379, Yoshihiro and his brother both became involved into a power struggle. Yoshihiro ended up defeating his brother at Sakariyama in 1380. During the year of 1391, in the name of the 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...
, 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....
, Yoshihiro led an army against the Southern Court adherents in the Capital region. Due to Yoshihiro's actions, Yoshimitsu awarded him with two more provinces.
Yoshihiro's greatest contribution to the Ashikaga took place during the year of 1392, When Yoshihiro convinced the Southern Court Emperor to surrender, thus bringing to a close the Nanboku-chō period, also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period. Afterwards, the shogun told Yoshihiro to build him a villa at Kitayama, in which Yoshihiro thought was an unreasonable demand. Due to this ironic fact, the Ōuchi revolted against the Bakufu. Yoshihiro was supported by many other Shugo, and withdrew his forces from 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:...
to the city of Sakai
Sakai, Osaka
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...
. The shogun, Yoshimitsu however wanted to solve the problem peacefully, but Yoshiro demanded to go out to battle him. Due to this fact, the shogun made the first move. Yoshimitsu gathered the armies of Hatakeyama
Hatakeyama clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hōjō forces in Kamakura...
, Hosokawa
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...
, and the Shiba
Shiba clan
The was a Japanese clan claiming descent from the Minamoto clan of the Heian era that held influence and territory in the provinces of Echizen province and Owari province to which they were governors during the Sengoku era. However, they were unable to make a transition to Sengoku-daimyo and lost...
, and moved to the land of Sakai. Yoshihiro however made an agreement with some Inland Sea pirates to create a naval blockade against the enemy forces.
Yoshimitsu was then assisted by Ashikaga Mitsukane
Ashikaga Mitsukane
was a Nanboku-chō period warrior, and the Kamakura-fu's third Kantō Kubō, . Being the eldest son, he succeeded his father Ujimitsu in 1398 at the age of 21 when he died during an epidemic.. Like him, Mitsukane aspired more or less openly to the shogunate and, like him and his successors, failed to...
who promised that he would assist him. All was not going well for Yoshihiro due to his Iwami
Iwami Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iwami bordered Aki, Bingo, Izumo, Nagato, and Suō provinces.In the Heian era the capital was at modern-day Hamada....
and Izumi
Izumi Province
was a province of Japan. It is also referred to as . It lay in Kinai, and its area today composes the south-western part of Osaka Prefecture . The Ōshōji in Sakai was the border with Settsu Province, until the beginning of the Meiji period, when the boundary was changed to be at the Yamato River...
troops proving to be incompletely unreliable. Due to this fact, Yoshihiro's army seemed generally stubborn, and incompetent. During the 12th month of 1399 Bakufu troops managed to set fire to the city, and Yoshihiro ended up having to commit suicide from the invading forces under Yoshimitsu. Apart from military actions, Yoshihiro was involved with trading between China and worked towards securing Ōuchi dominance in that area.