* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ashikaga Tadafuyu
足利直冬
Illegitimate Son of Ashikaga Takauji, Kyushu Tandai
Description
Birth and Early Life
Ashikaga Tadafuyu (c. 1327–1400) was a warrior of the Nanboku-cho period and an illegitimate son of Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. Born of a concubine called the Lady of Echizen, Tadafuyu was not recognized by his father and was raised as a temple page at Tosho-ji in Kamakura.
Adoption by Ashikaga Tadayoshi
Through the mediation of the Buddhist monk Genkei, Tadafuyu's talent was recognized and he was introduced to Takauji's brother Tadayoshi, who adopted him and gave him the name Tadafuyu. Despite this formal recognition, his relationship with his biological father remained fraught throughout his life.
The Kano Disturbance and Legacy
During the Kano Disturbance (1349–1352), Tadafuyu sided against Takauji, allied with the Southern Court, and briefly threatened Kyoto from the west. Supported by powerful lords including Ouchi Hirohide and Yamana Tokiuji, he served as Kyushu Tandai but lost his base after these allies submitted to the shogunate. His fate after 1366 is uncertain; one tradition holds he died in 1400 in Iwami Province.
Notable Swords
- Tachi (Nanboku-cho period)