Ashikaga Yoshiakira

Ashikaga Yoshiakira (1330-1367) was the designated heir of Ashikaga Takauji, the first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and served as the second shogun (in office 1358-1367). During the turbulent period of the Northern and Southern Courts, he succeeded to the shogunate from his father and sought to stabilize the shogunate's administration while deepening ties with the Northern Court. Although shaken by internal conflicts within the shogunate, such as the defection of Hosokawa Kiyouji, he brought Ōuchi Hiroyo, Yamana Tokiuji and others back into the service of the shogunate and advanced the weakening of Southern Court forces. In the latter half of his rule, he advanced negotiations for peace with the Southern Court, laying the foundation for the later reunification under the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. His early death, at age 38 by East Asian reckoning, is lamented, but his achievements were steadily passed on to the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.